Red Light District
by AnyaVeritas
Summary: A murderer on the loose inside the districts of Tokyo, innocent people where killed with their bodies naked and scrambled on the floor on the crime scene. When the murderer kills an influential business man in the Red Light District, Detective Li Syaoran is in charge to find the killer, helped by a stripper named Kinomoto Sakura and it seems she knew one of the victims...
1. The Scandal

_Hey There! Welcome to a new story of mine :D. I think this will be a pretty short one, or maybe I'll write this story when I don't have enough Inspiration for "The Jade Heart". It's not on Hiatus don't absolutely worry :D_

 _So, welcome to "Red Light District". This story is Rated M from the beginning of the story since it will have prostitution, murder, graphic scenes, sexual themes and sex scenes. I'm a fan of Crime and Mysteries and I love watching these things on television on unresolved murder cases or old crimes._

 _Now, let's get started! :D_

* * *

 **Chapter 1;**

 **The Scandal**

" _Now to some shocking news today:_ _Mizumi Katsuhito was killed tonight in Red Light District of Tokyo. His body was_ found _at the crime scene without any form of clothing on. On his stomach, there were brutal gashes that seemed to be the cause of his intestines hanging right out of his body."_

Pressing the volume button on the remote, he felt himself becoming more engaged in the news. It was a bad habit that had grown over the years. He would turn the television on while drinking his morning coffee as he flipped through the channels to find a crime case. Normally, he would wake up at 7:30 AM just to catch a glimpse of the news and be on time for work.

Work was the place he loved the most because of the excitement and his skills. His performance skills at work were always calm and in cold blood, like a usual morning routine when he was in Hong Kong.

Detective Li Syaoran was a man of work. Some would even say that he was a workaholic because he had no time for things that could entertain him. He never had the time to sit down and watch a movie, or even think about seeing a woman. His mother always scolded him, constantly reminding him that he should find a wife soon so she could have grandchildren one day.

He never understood why she troubled him with this, though. He had four sisters who were already married and had children of their own. He could only come down to one conclusion; his mother wasn't satisfied with his decision of being a lone wolf and wanted the best for him.

Syaoran sighed, sitting the cup of coffee on the table, while watching the screen carefully with his arms crossed over his chest.

 _An influential business man in Japan was killed…this will surely cause a scandal to rise._

That was all he could think as blurred images appeared on the screen, what Syaoran assumed was the man's lifeless body.

Syaoran shook his head unbelievably and then chugged down the rest of the coffee in one gulp. He turned the television off as he stood from the couch. He walked over to the rack, grabbing his coat. On the table beside the rack was his badge and gun that he always kept on him.

He was already dressed in his uniform, so he was ready for another day of work.

He could feel the excitement bubbling in his stomach. He was sure that his boss, or the district attorney would call the entire Police Department for the " _Mizumi Murder_ " case to be investigated.

He already felt that there was something on the water, because he heard that a few prostitutes were killed in the same manner as Mizumi. However, Syaoran knew that the Department wouldn't care too much about the death of the prostitutes.

The Red Light District was filled with people who looked for trouble. There were prostitutes, owners of strip clubs, and even worse; drug dealers.

Even though Syaoran religiously adores his job, he still believed that these people are human. No one should be treated inhuman, or like someone inferior to mankind when they were still human. He felt extremely disgusted with the standards of the world.

He sighed, walking into the police department of Setagaya District.

* * *

When Syaoran arrived to work, he saw his colleagues in a rush to get paper work done, while some answering phone calls. He could only assume that they had heard of the scandal after the News and they were beginning to work on the possible murderer of Katsuhito Mizumi.

Some agents in the department suspected that the murderer is from the Red Light District, while some disagreed wholeheartedly to the theory.

Syaoran shook his head at the judgmental theory as he walked towards his office. He stopped midway there, seeing his partner in front of the office.

The man had grey eyes with squared glasses and messy, dark blue hair. He gave Syaoran a Cheshire cat smile, and slight nod in acknowledgment.

"Good Morning, Eriol. It seems that the department is on fire today," Syaoran said sarcastically to his partner.

Eriol could only nod at the affirmation of his partner and friend.

Detective Hiiragizawa Eriol was his partner since he came from the Police Department of Hong Kong three years ago, in 2013. Eriol was always by his side, and had become one of his best friends in the department quickly, aside from Lieutenant Mihara Chiharu and Agent Yamazaki Takashi.

"Haven't you seen the news today? It seems that-"

"Yes, I know. An Influential business man was killed in the 'wrong' place of Tokyo."

Eriol raised an eyebrow at the sarcasm of Syaoran's response. He noticed the blank expression on Syaoran's face and sucked in an anxious breath, rolling his eyes. "Syaoran, it's not a crime to call the place, 'Red Light District,' you know?" Eriol said, patting his shoulder, motioning Syaoran to follow him to the coffee machine. He pushed a few coins in and pressed an espresso on the machine.

Eriol sighed. "It's unfair that the reporters are just now publishing a murder case to the public after some time. I can only assume that they needed someone influential to report the scandal," he said with disgust.

Syaoran nodded at the voiced words of his thoughts as he crossed his arms over his chest. His amber eyes blinked twice at the rage he felt for the reporters. Those reporters never talked enough about the murders that were always taken place at the Red Light District of Tokyo. No matter what the situation was, they would always say that the killer was some drug dealer of the district just because they were nothing special in the eyes of "normal" people.

"It's ashamed. They don't have respect at all, Eriol. I bet my badge that this murderer has killed someone before Mr. Mizumi."

Eriol nodded as he drank his espresso, supporting his colleague's assumption.

Syaoran nodded his head slowly, deep in thought about this. "Yeah. He or she doesn't seem like a newbie killer. They seem to be an expert."

How right could he be right now? They needed someone important to report a murderer on the loose.

Syaoran felt extremely disgusted with the media all over again.

"You will discuss your theories in another moment you two!"

The men turned around and saw a woman with long, black hair and ruby eyes. She had her hands on her curved hips. She was dressed in a pale, pink suit with heels on her feet.

"Perfect. We needed the District Attorney too," Eriol murmured to Syaoran as he finished his espresso and threw the plastic cup into the trash.

Syaoran shook his head, frustrated. His messy, chestnut hair moved along with his head. " _Good Morning_ to you too, Mei-Ling. You know that it's a bit impolite to greet others with chastisement. ' _Good Morning_ ,' would have been a better approach to take," Syaoran said, emphasizing the words more than they should have been.

As a result, Mei-Ling rolled her eyes, annoyed and gave a truce look at the two.

"Listen, I'm frustrated as fuck. These reporters have not given us a moment to _breathe_. I don't know how many cups of coffee I've drank from the frustration."

Syaoran and Eriol stared at her for a moment, not uttering a word.

She did look kind of terrible with the bags under her eyes, and her hair loose. Usually, she always had it pulled into a tight, professional bun.

Mei-Ling was always professional on the job. She had picked up on the professional habit in undergrad school where she got a degree in Political Science.

Mei-Ling walked towards the coffee machine and put a coin inside it, pressing a macchiato. Her body was tense, signaling her need for another cup of coffee.

"Don't you think you've had enough coffee for a day, Mei-Ling?" Syaoran asked, face showing concern for her.

Though Mei-Ling came off as rude to most, including Syaoran, he still cared for her in a way that family should.

She gave him a pointed look as she took her cup of macchiato.

The look caused an unsettling feeling in Syaoran's stomach.

"Don't start acting overprotective and bossy, Syaoran. You're older than me, but I'm kind of your boss. So, don't start okay?"

It was something that Mei-Ling always told him during an important case, even in Hong Kong. However, back in Hong Kong, Mei-Ling was only the secretary of the District Attorney. When both cousins arrived in Tokyo, the District Attorney of Setagaya retired because of his health due to his old age, and the desire to spend time with his family. In turn, Mei-Ling was promoted to District Attorney. To her, it was the peak of her career.

Syaoran and Eriol raised their hands as if they were caught red-handed.

" _Oh_ , sorry. _District Attorney_ ," they chorused together to tease her, which they successfully did since she was scowling. They chuckled.

Mei-Ling shook her head, rolling her eyes as she drank her macchiato. "Anyway, your chief wants to see you two. In the meantime, I have to prepare for the press release to calm down those thirsty reporters so everyone can work on the case without any problems."

She was back in professional mode.

She opened her purse and took out a clip, putting it between her lips. She pulled her hair back into a pony-tail. She used the clip after wrapping her hair into a bun to secure it. Some locks where in front of her eyes still.

Syaoran and Eriol nodded. "You better go. You know how your boss gets impatient."

* * *

Syaoran and Eriol arrived at the chief's office soon after the encounter with Mei-Ling.

The desk was a mess with newspapers, paperwork, and a cup of coffee that was still full, but on ambient temperature. There was also an ashtray on the table, which explained the smell of burned cigars in the room.

"You called us, chief?" Eriol asked as he looked at the back of the chief's chair seriously.

At the sound of Eriol's voice, the seat twirled around and revealed a man with brown eyes and dark hair. He was holding a cigarette in between his fingers. He was dressed in a black suit and had a barge attached to his shirt.

"Detective Li, Detective Hiiragizawa," his deep voice greeted the two detectives.

He put his cigarette on the ashtray.

"Kinomoto," they said simultaneously.

Kinomoto Touya was the Chief of the Police Department of Setagaya district in Tokyo. He did his job well and was a much respected policeman, even though his family was never in the police force before.

His father was an archeology professor while his mother ran a bakery in a small town called, Tomoeda. It was only a few hours from Tokyo. Rumors had got around that Touya had a younger sister, but they didn't have a clue about her existence, which was how Touya wanted to keep it.

Touya stood from the seat and approached the two detectives with his arms folded across his chest. "As you have probably heard, Mizumi Katsuhito was killed tonight in the Red Light District and the news and reporters took this as a scandal."

Eriol and Syaoran nodded.

"Unfortunately, it is not the first kill of our dear murderer."

Syaoran's eyes widened at the claim. He had been right, after all.

"I suspected this as well, Chief Kinomoto. His modus operandi isn't like one of a newbie."

Touya nodded at Syaoran's assertion of the killer. He unfolded his arms. "This was all taken place in the Red Light District, so, I need the two of you to head over there and keep an eye on every one, or thing."

They nodded, understanding what Touya was really saying. They had to be spies.

Touya took opened his laptop and turned on the projector. On the wall, the appearance of a young woman in a photo popped up. She was naked and her intestines were also cut out of her stomach. However, the difference in her photo from Mizumi Katsuhito was that her throat was sliced _._

Eriol covered his mouth in disbelief while Syaoran stared at the photo hard, insides churning in disgust.

"Izumi Megumi, an escort from the Red Light District. Killed the 8th of September 2016."

Touya proceeded to click on another photo. This time, it was a man. His murdered appearance resembled the escorts. However, he had on clothes, but his legs were cut into pieces.

"Kanenshiro Kanechi, a drug dealer, also from the Red Light District. Killed two days after Izumi Megumi."

Syaoran gulped at the crude images in front of his eyes. He almost hurled, but kept it down.

Touya switched to more images, men and women from the Red Light District in Tokyo appearing. Oddly, the victims were killed two days, or a week after the last murder.

Eriol shivered as his eyes scanned the images. He didn't expect the last picture before it came.

It was a picture of a young woman around twenty-two. She had long, wavy, violet hair with skin almost white as snow. Her appearance looked like all the victims in one. The same modus operandi.

Eriol remained stiff, breath caught in his throat until the words finally came up like vomit. "No…no…no!"

Syaoran recognized who the woman was immediately in the picture, but he dared not to speak her name. He wanted to wait for the confirmation from Touya.

"Daidouji Tomoyo. In the wrong place at the wrong time. She didn't work in the Red Light District, though. Killed the 16th of October 2016."

Eriol fell to his knees, placing his hands on his temple, murmuring profanities under his breath. After a while, he rose from the ground with a blank expression on his face. His eyes were red, almost making them believe that he had secretly cried.

"What's wrong, Hiiragizawa? Did you know her?" Touya asked with a sympathetic voice.

"She was my fiancée, chief… "

Touya eye's widened in shock at Eriol's words.

He had not heard from Tomoyo in months, but he couldn't do anything about it. He assumed she stopped calling and texting because she was busy with her new designs. They had went from talking every single day when she left for England, to nothing at all. She had told him that she would be busy over there and that she would not be able to contact him, so he thought that's why he didn't…

Eriol's heart nearly stopped beating, feeling himself die inside. Why was she _there_ in the first place?

"Yes, it is true. But, I don't understand. The Daidouji's are one of the richest family in Japan. Why didn't the reporters inform the public about Tomoyo's death?"

Eriol remained silent, wishing this conversation would end. How could he let himself get wrapped up in work to miss his own future wife's death?

"We don't know yet. I just discovered these photos not too long ago. Maybe he needed someone who was influential in the local business of Japan and the Daidouji's aren't that influential…"

Syaoran hummed at the explanation, deep in thought.

Touya grabbed his cigarette from the ashtray and put it between his lips. "Li, I want you to go to the Red Light District tonight. Specifically, in the Red Lotus Strip Club. This club is owned by the twins Yukito and Yue Tsukishiro. I've never trusted those men, so I suggest you to begin there."

Syaoran nodded. "Roger that. But, why in The Red Lotus?"

Touya turned his back to both detectives and sighed, trying to find the right words to say at the question asked. "My sister works there… "

Eriol and Syaoran locked gazes for a moment and then turned their attention back on the chief.

Syaoran gulped and folded his hands behind his back nervously.

They both could tell that this was a delicate subject for Touya, so neither of them spoke a word in fear of saying the wrong thing.

"Is that the reason you go there every night?" Eriol asked him quietly.

Touya looked at them and nodded. "Correct, Hiiragizawa. I go there to make sure she's safe. She has always been stubborn, so it's hard sometimes. She can fend for herself, but I don't trust her strength. It's already sickening to know that she sells her…" Touya's fist clenched as if he were thinking about it, " _body_ to pleasure men."

Syaoran wanted to ask so many questions, but decided not to. He was almost sure that Touya would answer his unasked questions with the way was speaking freely to them.

"I don't agree with it. I've never agreed with anything that she has done to herself, so don't get me wrong. I've had to get her out of deep shit for the last few years because of her problems. Drugs being one of them…and now…" Touya paused, head dropping low. "Prostitution. She was clean at a point of time, had her life together and all. She worked as a secretary in Amamiya's Corporation."

Touya sighed. "But, she lost her job, so she was devastated. And guess what she turns to?"

It was a hypothetical question, so neither of them answered it.

"Drugs. And the dumb ass that I am wanted to protect her from getting in trouble. I was the one who suggested getting a place of her own to hide from our parents and the police until she got better. I paid her rent until she began to work at The Red Lotus."

They remained silent, admiring the chief for protecting his little sister that had problems that contradicted his job, and what he believed in.

Syaoran understood him, though. He had four sister and two nieces. He would do anything to protect them, even if it meant going to great height like Touya.

"I understand, Chief Kinomoto."

Touya gave a small smile to Syaoran. "That's why I need you guys there to make sure the murderer isn't near them. I know that he's in the district, but we need to eliminate as many places as possible to find him."

Touya pressed the intercom button to call his secretary. "Akizuki, tell the District Attorney Li that I want to talk to her for the Press release."

" _Roger that, sir._ "

He moved his finger from the intercom and turned to Eriol.

"Hiiragizawa, I understand that you may be going through a lot right now. I am very sorry for your loss. To reduce the stress on you, I don't think that you should participate in this case. Li can go solo this time. However, you'll help District Attorney Li with the Press releases to report everything to the public if we have something new on the case. Objections?"

Eriol shook his head with a sad smile on his face. "No, I would have asked before you even said it. I would be too emotionally involved with the case, so it will be an honor to work with Attorney Li."

Touya nodded, turning to Syaoran with a serious look on his face. "Protect my sister from that monster, if you can."

Syaoran nodded and gave him the military salute, which Touya returned as usual with the serious look on his face.

"You can go now, and remember Li. Tonight. _The Red Lotus_."

"Roger."

* * *

The night had come faster than he expected. The day had seemed so much longer with everything going on, yet quick at the same time. The assignment to the case, and trying to come to some form of plan to find the murderer of those people. People who included Eriol's fiancée, Tomoyo Daidouji, and an influential business man named Katsuhito Mizumi.

During the first press release, Mei-Ling had declared that the District of Setagaya would begin to work productively on the case.

Eriol had declared that the mysterious killer had already killed multiple people aside from Mizumi. He even revealed the names of the victims, including Tomoyo's, though it was hard for him.

The Press of Tokyo had come up with a name for the murderer by now. "Monstrum of Tokyo" because of the way he killed his victims. They didn't have a clue who the murderer was after, though. He went from escorts to drug dealers, and now, maybe influential business men. It brought questions to the table like, was he only after the sinners in the Red Light District since most of the deaths were there?

Syaoran parked in front of The Red Lotus, the strip club owned by the twins Yukito and Yue Tsukishiro.

Before driving to the pleasure district of Tokyo, Syaoran had researched their dossier on the Police network to know a little about them. They were drug dealers, quite the sneaky ones. They were so sly that they had been caught in the past, but meddled their way out of the trouble. They gained fortunes from the drugs, which led them to open The Red Lotus. Since they were well known, the strip club became popular in no time.

Syaoran stepped out of his car and began to walk towards the entrance of the club. He was dressed in a plain, green T-shirt and dark jeans. He wanted to look as normal as possible tonight so no one would suspect anything.

He entered the club without any problems. It was no surprise that the first thing he noticed were men touching the butts of the waitresses, while they brought drinks to the table. The loud music was almost making him deaf.

Syaoran walked towards the bar and ordered a Piña Colada, hoping to fit in with everyone here.

Once his drink was ready, he looked at one of the pole dancers who were on the center of the floor.

There were men cheering her on and slipping bills in the corner of her tight dress.

Syaoran's eyes began to scan the other strippers on the stage, but his eyes stopped at one in particular.

Her body was slim and fit as it wrapped around the hard pole. There were red sparkles on her tight leather suit, bringing out the outlines of her beautiful body.

When she began to move up the pole, his eyes drifted to her face. She had short, auburn hair with the most beautiful emerald eyes he had ever seen.

 _Who is this?_

He watched her climb the pole, intrigued with how strong and athletic she was. She was different from the other two who were only dancing around the poles right now, with no particular stunt.

Hypnotically, Syaoran walked towards the edge of the stage, drink in hand, to have a closer look at her. When he had a good vision, the woman locked eyes with him and dropped to her knees, crawling on her knees in front of Syaoran.

The crowd of men 'hooted' and yelled catcalls as she placed her legs on Syaoran's shoulders seductively.

She gave him a smirk, and suddenly, it was only him and her in the room alone.

He couldn't stop the smirk from creeping to his lips at the stripper, enjoying the way her slim legs wrapped around his shoulders..

She arched her back, giving Syaoran a full view of her covered body.

The way her breasts taunted him through the material of her outfit caused his control to slip.

With his free hand, he touched one of her breasts gently, and a loud applaud followed after the brief touch, breaking the moment between them.

He realized what he was doing and pulled his hand from her breast.

The woman removed her legs from his shoulders and began to rise from the ground slowly, looking at Syaoran with the same smirk on her face. As she rose, he noticed her touching the lower areas of her body sensually, awakening the beast in his pants.

Staring into her face, he began to wonder if she could be Chief Kinomoto's sister. He wondered as he chugged down his drink, hoping the blissful feeling would go down with it after being touched by the erotic angel.

* * *

Syaoran asked the barman where the locker rooms were for the strippers after the show ended and everyone winded down. He particularly asked for the woman he touched briefly.

She looked too innocent to be here, and he wondered how she had landed at the place. Was it the money? Or the fun?

"I'm sorry, man, but no one has acc-"

Syaoran stopped him, showing his badge to the barman. "Are you sure?" Syaoran asked with a smirk on his face.

The barman blinked twice, and then he understood. "It's for the Monstrum of Tokyo, isn't it?"

Syaoran nodded. "Yes."

The old barman called a young man to take care of the bar, while he led Syaoran to the locker room where the strippers were.

There were other strippers on the stage, but he needed to talk with the one that he suspected being Kinomoto Touya's sister. He still had to stick to the mission that Touya requested of him.

The barman left him in front of the locker room and after opening the door for him.

Syaoran entered and saw the strippers talking and laughing with one another.

"You should teach me that, Sakura!"

"Really, you are amazing at this."

The women were complimenting the auburn haired girl as Syaoran now knew as Sakura.

He cleared his throat, gaining their attention.

The three women became stiff.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone. I won't hurt you, I promise," he said cautiously.

He reached into his back pocket, grabbing out his badge to show the three strippers.

"Detective Li Syaoran of Setagaya District."

The auburn-headed woman crossed her arms over her chest, still dressed in the red leather suit. In fact, all the strippers were still clothed.

One had short, brunette hair and she was taller than the auburn-headed girl. She was wearing a white leather suit.

The other one was a bit shorter than the stripper that captured Syaoran's attention. She had dark auburn hair and chocolate eyes. She was dressed in a blue leather suit.

"What is it? Yue's in trouble, perhaps?" Sakura asked, keeping her arms wrapped around her chest. She had a sultry tone of voice.

It caused Syaoran to have an eerie feeling.

"No. I'm here to talk about the Monstrum of Tokyo. One of the victims were killed beside the Red Lotus," he said, aborting from the original plan.

The auburn-head opened her eyes in shock and lowered her gaze. She chewed her lip nervously, and then, after a while, she turned to her friends.

"Naoko, Rika…leave us alone, please."

Naoko and Rika nodded and made their way out of the locker room.

She kept her head high, giving off a haughty attitude towards Syaoran.

"So, it's true…"

Sakura's eyes widened. "What?"

"You are Kinomoto Touya's sister."

Sakura rolled her eyes, annoyed, but her body language remained the same. "What is this? An interrogatory, Detective?"

She grabbed the pack of cigarettes on top of one of the lockers. She opened it, grabbing one out, and then reached over to grab the lighter on the seat. She lit it.

"Your irritation confirms that you're my chief's sister."

Sakura exhaled the smoke of tobacco and looked at him with a hard look in her eyes.

"Save your bullshit for someone who cares. I already know what you're going to say. My brother sent you to protect me from the Monstrum."

Syaoran thought about it for a moment. Yes, he was sent by his chief to protect her, but maybe she was a witness of one of the murderer, he thought. She was a stripper in this district, so she had to know something.

He decided to lie instead. "No, I was sent here to investigate the area for Kinomoto. I was wondering if anyone trust-worthy could be of help. Chief Kinomoto is a man of loyalty, so another Kinomoto who lives here would help."

Sakura laughed humorlessly and took another whiff of her cigarette. She looked at him with a smirk on her lips and shook her head. "I can bet all my clothes off that my brother has told you about my problems regarding the issue of 'keeping the law.' How I've taken drugs in the past to remain high all the time." She laughed again, shaking her head.

"I'm sure he didn't forget to mention the time I was clean for a while and I had a decent job, until I was fired. He didn't tell you why I was fired, though, right?"

She waited for him to respond.

He shook his head, no.

"That piece of shit found out that I was a junkie, that's why. I tried to convince the bastard that I was clean and I didn't take any drugs, but no. His employees had to be clean, the perfect example of business in Japan, so he fired me."

She spoke with her head held high, coming off as strong and confident in every word she said. What was there to take pride in here, Syaoran wondered.

"So, yes. I did start the drugs back up. My dear Onii-chan had sent me away from my own home town because he didn't want to disappoint our parents before I could end my life. So what he bought me a beautiful apartment here in Tokyo in the Shibuya district and paid the rent? So what I decided to become a worker at the Red Lotus? I know he tells everyone this shit who knows about me. You know, I make quite the money with these drug dealers, so my decisions in life paid off. He should mention how well-off I am here."

She released a loud sigh. "But if what you are saying is true—the reason you're here. I do have information."

Syaoran stared at her serious now, rather than sympathetically.

"The murders began years ago here. And no one gave any fucks of what happened to these people," she said disgusted. "I understand, though. In the eyes of you perfect people, we are sinners who corrupt our body with drugs or prostitution. Even though we resemble to others, we are still not considered courtesans or mistresses, so who gives a damn, right? As soon as a business man gets killed, everyone panics as if these murders have never taken place. My best friend was killed by Monstrum of Tokyo and she didn't even work in the Red Light District. Nobody cared about her…" Her eyes began to water, but anger was evident in her face.

"When Innocent people are killed, nobody cares. An influential man has to get killed in order for humans to care."

When she saw the sympathetic look on his face again, she scoffed, shaking her head.

"Don't think of me as a saint, Detective Li. Before that bastard Mizumi was killed, whores like me were still being killed for their sins and no one cared. Because an influential man has been killed, we all of a sudden matter."

Syaoran nodded, understanding her self-worth.

Sakura threw the cigarette away, not caring to find an ashtray.

"I understand what you're saying," he said.

Sakura raised an eyebrow when Syaoran began to talk.

"Thanks to your brother, I saw the victims before the killing of Mizumi Katsuhito. I wasn't aware of this…the people being killed here."

She nodded, though she didn't believe a word he said. She couldn't find the right words for him.

"My usual partner is involved because he lost his fiancee, Daidouji. That was your friend, correct?"

Sakura nodded sadly. "Yeah, her name was Daidouji Tomoyo and she was the fiancée of Hiiragizawa Eriol.

Syaoran nodded and touched his temple, looking concentrated. "I need to know if you know any witnesses of any of the murders…I need you to work with me."

Sakura thought about it for a moment, thinking that if she should do the right thing for once.

She hated people who worked for the system. All they did was treat her and her people like shit. They didn't care about them.

However, she came to a conclusion that she could benefit from this after some thought.

Maybe helping Detective Li would be a redemption for her "sins" and she could have society's view of her changed, along with her people. Maybe she could change.

With that thought in mind, she nodded her head. "I would gladly assist you."

* * *

 _Author note; Mhm… Maybe not everyone will like the idea of Sakura being a stripper that she had problems with drugs, but In my stories I want to give a stronger side of her, as you have already seen in "The Jade Heart"._

 _With that said, I hope you like it and see you soon!_

 _Happy New Year to Everyone!_

 ** _Edit: The Chapter has been edited and corrected :3 Thank you animechick132 for beta-reading :3 You were such a doll ^^_**


	2. Who is in control?

_Hello, it's me again! Thank you for your reviews in the last chapter :3 I hope you'll grow curious over this story, also, if you have any weird bones just ask me ;)_

 _Thank you to animechick132 for beta-reading this story, I'll never thank you enough :3_

 _Let's go now :D_

* * *

 **Chapter 2;**

 **"Who is in Control?"**

Sakura walked through the door of her apartment, slamming the door shut behind her furiously. She sucked in an anxious breath and tossed her keys on a table. She took off her heels and slipped her jacket off, hanging it on the coat rack.

She walked to the kitchen, enjoying the cool floor against her bare feet and opened the fridge to look for something to drink. Once she spotted the famous drink, she grabbed the bottle of cold beer.

Sighing, she opened the bottle with her teeth and then drank it, hoping to get rid of the nervous feeling.

She was deep in thought, remembering her conversation with the detective. He had offered her a redemption from her sins, only if she would help him, though he didn't seem to know this. The only thing she had to do was find, or remember more witnesses who had also seen the killings by the Monstrum.

Sakura was a witness herself, but she dared not to speak much to Detective Li Syaoran yet. She had to trust him fully before she decided to tell him everything he wanted to know.

She wondered how she could trust a cop from the city, though. People in the Red Light District were considered outcast, and hated by all, including the cops from his town. So, how could she trust anyone from that town?

There was still that small, nagging voice in the back of her head reminding her what would surely happen. She was a prostitute who spread her legs for any and every one, so she knew that she would end up doing the same for him. Her body was only a tool for men who just wanted to have fun by having sex with women. This only showed how cruel men could be in this world.

Most of Sakura's clients were married men, which further proved her point about the cruelty of them all.

Though it was her fault that she allowed these men to do this, she always felt that sense of shame and guilt wash over her body every time she spread her legs open for a man.

What would Touya think of her for sleeping with the married men? Or her father? And her mother?

Sakura shook her head and tossed the empty bottle towards the trash can, but she missed, causing the bottle to shatter into bits of pieces. She stared at the dangerous crystal shards on the floor and felt the tears burning the back of her eyes. Everything was so clear and vivid right now.

She placed her hand in front of her eyes to block the view of the glass, while her mind brought back the memories of that fateful night before her best friend was killed.

* * *

 _16th October 2016, 11:25 PM:_

 _They_ _were in the back of The Red Lotus, talking in hushed tones._

 _Tomoyo had her arms wrapped together over her chest, a smile on her face proudly as she seemed to be preparing herself to say something big. "You want to know a secret? You have to promise that you won't tell anyone though, okay?"_

 _Sakura made a gesture with her fingers in front of her lips like she was locking a door or a chest._

 _Tomoyo laughed at her friend's gesture and gave a light push to her shoulder. "You're so silly," she teased her friend._

 _Sakura joined along with the laughter until they had enough._

 _Tomoyo returned serious after a while, but still the smile didn't leave her face._

 _"Well…while I was in England for work, someone wanted to finance my designs…"_

 _Sakura nodded, staring at her friend without blinking even once._

 _"And…he said that I need a model and… I thought of you!" Tomoyo exclaimed excitedly._

 _Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, her body taut at the news. She couldn't find the right words to say to her friend._

 _A better job, a better pay, and most importantly; no more working in The Red Lotus. The contract with Yue and Yukito, stopped those thoughts, though…_

 _She had to work for them until they found a more experienced stripper than her. Within the last few years she had been there, a stripper who they believed were better than her had never crossed their paths._

 _Maybe it was the innocent air she had that attracted men of all ages as most people told her, but she could never understand why a man would want to take a woman who appeared innocent and naïve._

 _However, she could understand why Yukito and Yue wanted her there. She was a waterfall of money and gold for them, so they couldn't let her go._

 _Sakura was a habitual costumer for the twins in the past when they had only run their own business selling drugs. They gave her whatever drug she needed in the moment; cannabis, methamphetamine, cocaine—whatever drug in the world, they had it. She had given them a large sum of money so they could open the Red Lotus._

 _Back then, she was their hen of the golden eggs. And now, it seemed like a repeat of the past. Sakura gave them clients who paraded money to them for her performances, enough to keep the strip club running._

 _But, she decided that if everything worked out with this new job Tomoyo had told her about, tomorrow she would talk with them and tear the contract in front of their eyes._

 _"Oh, Kami-sama! Tomoyo! That's the best news I've ever heard in my entire life!" she said and hugged her best friend tightly._

 _Tomoyo returned the hug, laughing and holding her tight._

 _Sakura's eyes widened when she sensed something off with Tomoyo. She broke the hug and looked at Tomoyo with wide-eyes._

 _Tomoyo's lips curved in a smile. "I guess I couldn't keep it a secret from you. You have always had a sharp mind," she said as she touched her flat stomach. "I'm pregnant and…"_

 _Sakura placed a hand on her shoulder and caressed it gently. "I guess it happened two months ago before you left for London, right?"_

 _Tomoyo nodded. "Yes, I wanted to tell Eriol before our wedding day, so he would know that he doesn't need to work his ass off to help me produce a child," she joked._

 _Sakura chuckled a little and gave her another hug. "I'm so happy for you. Congratulations! Also, I accept your offer, Tomoyo. Tomorrow I'll tear the contract right down the middle in front of Yue and Yukito."_

 _Tomoyo broke the hug and put both of her hands on Sakura's shoulders, her smile faltering. She became serious of all sudden._

 _"Look at you, Sakura. You look so innocent and inexperienced with life, yet you've been to hell and back." Sakura blinked once, not daring to interrupt her. "No one knew about your problems with drugs, besides Touya and I. I'll always be by your side no matter what, so if you ever need anything, just ask me."_

 _Her hands moved to Sakura's cheeks, and caressed them gently. "Even if you're a prostitute, a junkie, or even a stiff secretary, you'll always be my best friend." Tomoyo removed her hands from her cheeks and caressed the top of Sakura's head endearingly._

 _"That's why I want you to be the godmother of my child…"_

 _Sakura was breathless for a moment. Yes, Tomoyo was like a sister to her. Even though she wasn't as overprotective as Touya was, she still cared for her, and wanted the best for her best friend._

 _"I would be honored, Tomoyo," she finally said in a shaky breath after a moment of silence._

 _They talked a bit longer before they bid each other goodbye after a final hug between the two friends._

 _Tomoyo began to walk towards the sidewalk, and called a taxi so she could go back home. Tomorrow she would be going back to London for her fashion show._

 _Sakura dug into her pocket and grabbed a package of cigarettes, deciding to release some of this tension in her body before going back inside._

 _As soon as she got in, she was demanded to go on stage and perform for the unknown people that wanted to let the beast in their pants come alive at the erotic moves that she did on that pole._

 _Once she finished, she headed back outside to have another cigarette. As she was about to light her cigarette, she heard a loud, piercing scream._

 _She lifted her head, in the direction of the sound._

 _"Leave me alone! Please, leave me alone!" the voice continued to scream._

 _It took a while for Sakura to realize whose voice it was until her blood went cold._

 _"TOMOYO!"_

 _She started running, following her cries and pleas of her life. She found Tomoyo in an alley with a man, or a woman who had on a black cloak, but it's eyes were still visible._

 _She or he was tearing Tomoyo's clothes off as she cried for mercy._

 _Sakura ran towards the mysterious figure and jumped on it, entwining her arms on their neck and tried to immobilize their arms. "Leave her alone!" she screamed._

 _The person moved and tried to flip Sakura's body over so she could release it._

 _But she continued to fight and hold onto their arms._

 _This had to be the same murderer who took the life of several of her friends… Megumi, Ayami, Yuriko… One an escort, while the others her colleagues._

 _The murderer slammed his head against Sakura's face from behind hard. She stumbled back, groaning loudly._

 _Tomoyo gasped as she tried to get up from the floor while covering her breasts with her arms._

 _Sakura was stunned, clutching her face in pain. That was when something cold and sharp pressed against her throat._

 _This was the way whores died, she remembered as she trembled in fear for her life. That was all she could think about as she stared in the black eyes. When she looked closer, she could see a scar on the top of their nose too._

 _Her breaths came out faster as she stared into his eyes, hoping that she would find something before this all ended._

 _"I have no intentions of killing you, stupid whore, but I don't need you to be in my way." The murderer's voice was deep and manly._

 _A sigh of relief washed over her, knowing that he had no intentions of killing her, but still felt a sense of danger after the murderer put the knife away from her throat and approached Tomoyo._

 _Tomoyo's eyes widened and she gulped as the figure walked towards her with long strides._

 _Sakura jumped and ran towards him, but it felt like it was all in slow motion. The murderer's knife sliced Tomoyo's throat, causing Sakura's running to stop._

 _Her eyes widened, mouth agape before a loud piercing scream left her mouth at the view of her friend being killed right before her eyes…_

* * *

"Get out of my head!" she yelled, kicking the chair in pure rage and sadness. That was when images appeared in front of her of the Monstrum slicing Tomoyo's stomach, causing the ground to be in a puddle of blood.

Guilt ate at Sakura's heart, thinking about the dreadful memory. Why couldn't she do anything to save her best friend?

Sakura shook her head, trying to rid of the thoughts as she walked towards her living room.

She stopped, seeing a man sitting in a chair. He had long, silver hair in a neat ponytail and pale white skin with stunning grey eyes. He was dressed in a black shirt and light blue jeans as he had a cigarette between his fingers.

From the intoxicating smell, Sakura knew that he was smoking marijuana.

"How did you get in, Yue?" she asked rudely as she crossed her arms against her chest. Her face showed no pleasure of seeing him in her apartment.

Yue chuckled at the question and gave another whiff to the rolled paper. "The window, before you actually came back from The Red Lotus. I was hoping on having a bit of…" He put his fingers under his chin, pretending to think of an answer.

Sakura rolled her eyes and pointed to the door for Yue. "You're acting like a stalker, asshole. Get out before I– "

"Before you _what_?" He rose from the chair and approached Sakura.

Her eyes widened as he approached her like a predator. "Before you call the police? Or maybe your beloved onii-chan?".

Yue placed the end of the rolled paper with the ash on Sakura's arm, burning her skin.

The smell was intoxicating, but she still groaned in pain and pushed away from Yue. "Fuck you, Yue!"

He threw his head back, laughing as he put a lock of his hair behind his ear.

"I know that you enjoy the _pain,_ Sakura."

Her fists clenched until they become white, heart drumming against her chest. She was unable to control her emotions of rage and disgust with the man in front of her.

"You're _disgusting_ ," she spat in a venom-filled tone. "You've had these fantasies of me for years now, aren't they getting old to you?"

Yue had always had sexual fantasies of her when she was just in high school during his earlier years of drug dealing. She never understood his infatuations with her, and why he would often try to bring her down with him.

Countless of times, he would try to take her into his bed, but she never obliged. Now that Sakura was his employee, Yue had begun to become obsessed with her, trying to court her. Quite often, he would try to use drugs to woo her in, but it never worked. So, he would normally resort back to secretly sneaking into her apartment to watch her sleep at night.

It was only for a short while until he began to take her against her will.

She was used to it, though. No one noticed that since Sakura's clients were rough with her, took what they could, and then threw her away as if she were trash. She even had the marks to prove it, but she normally hid it.

Yue laughed, shaking his head. "Yes, but admit it. You enjoy when I sneak into your room at night to eat you out."

Sakura recoiled, feeling nausea at the words. Her stomach even churned at the thoughts of the times he did that.

"Just because I am a whore doesn't mean that you have a right to take advantage of me. Just because the police wouldn't believe a whore claiming to have been raped, doesn't make what you do right!"

Yue remained silent, but he continued to look at her.

"I wonder how Yukito will react knowing that you take advantage of me at every given opportunity."

At the mention of Yukito's name, Yue saw red. He approached Sakura and landed a hard slap to her face, causing her to fall on the floor. He kneeled to her limp body on the floor and forcefully grabbed her hair, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"Don't you dare speak of my brother. He has nothing to do with this, so how dare you bring him into this?!" Yue didn't want Yukito to know about this. It would probably break his brother.

Sakura spit in his face, showing him the disgust that she felt towards him. "You will not continue this forever, bastard".

Yue shook his head and released her hair.

Sakura looked at the floor, feeling ashamed of what Yue had done to her body forcefully. She heard footsteps walking towards the door and heard the door opening.

"You're just a whore, Sakura. You show off and sell your body to please man. I bet that even the Monstrum of Tokyo wants to get pleased by you…" he looked at her as she raised her head towards him, a look of rage in her eyes, " _before_ he kills you." And then he slammed the door shut behind him.

Sakura moved into a sitting position as the tears rolled down her cheek uncontrollably. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and clenched her fists in desperation and rage.

Yue had just told her to give pleasure to the Monstrum and then get killed by him. She remembered how Tomoyo was killed in that alley that fateful night by the cruel being, so how could she even think to do that?

Tomoyo was _pregnant_ with Sakura's soon-to-be godchild, but she was gone now. And the awful thing is that Sakura would never see her again, nor the child who didn't even could live. Two people were killed that night; her best friend and an unborn child.

Sakura finally released a loud cry in anger and frustration with tears in her eyes. Eventually, she fell asleep on the floor.

* * *

It was 8:00 AM and Eriol was in his office, waiting for Mei-Ling to work on the paper works for the news on the case, as usual. In his hands, he had a picture of him and Tomoyo in Paris under the Eifel Tower, where he proposed to her. She had told him yes without any hesitations.

Yesterday's news was like a knife to his heart. He had expected another person to be the victim of the Monstrum, but not her.

He had deeply loved Tomoyo from the bottom of his heart. He had a crush on her in junior high, believing her to be an angel that walked the halls. It was the locker scene that had sparked his interest in her as she grabbed the books from her locker the most, though. They became friends and stayed that way until their first year of high school, when he confessed. She had returned the feelings without any hesitations and they became a couple immediately after.

Eriol felt the tears burning the back of his eyes as he put down the photo down. He placed both of his hands in front of his eyes, and bit his lower lip hard, trying not to let out a sob until he heard a knock on the door.

He shook his head and placed both hands on the desk, the photo of him and Tomoyo still facing him. "Come in," he said after getting himself together.

Mei-Ling entered Eriol's office, dressed in a white shirt and black pants with heels. Her hair was in the usual neat bun, professional as always in her role as district attorney. She had two cups of macchiato from the nearby Starbucks. She sat a cup on Eriol's desk.

"Good Morning, Eriol," she said sympathetically. Mei-Ling noticed the gloomy look on his face as she drank her coffee slowly.

Eriol cracked a smile at her, failing to show fake happiness. "Good Morning, Mei," he said in a gloomy tone, standing from his chair and walking towards the window, sighing.

Mei-Ling looked at the floor and put her cup on the desk and approached him with her fingers intertwined. "I can see that you didn't sleep last night."

Eriol turned around and faced Mei-Ling when she placed her hand on his shoulders in a sympathetic gesture.

"I won't tell Kinomoto anything. I promise."

Eriol seemed quite hesitant, but he wanted to get this burden off his chest and tell her how he was feeling after the loss of his future wife. But deep inside, he wanted to live with the pain forever and maybe, in a few months or weeks, his life could end so he could be with her again.

Mei-Ling remained motionless for a while, feeling her heart tighten with empathy for him. She knew how it felt to lose a loved one.

Back in Hong Kong, during a murder case, she lost her boyfriend, Jinbao, before the murderer was captured. He had been killed before her very own eyes. She never forgot his last breath when he caressed her cheek with his bloody hand. Mei-Ling could still feel the fresh blood on her skin, and the bullet hole right between his head.

"I know how it feels to lose someone to a murderer," she finally spoke, keeping her hand on his shoulder.

Eriol's eyes widened, surprised by her statement. _She never mentioned it before…_

Mei-Ling closed her eyes and took in a deep breathe, while facing the ground. She tried to find the right words to comfort him, but her heart was beating fast from that awful memory of her dying boyfriend in her arms.

After a moment, she finally looked at him, tears evident in her eyes. "I lost my boyfriend during an open case in Hong Kong. He was killed by a murderer."

Eriol remained silent at her confession, wondering if Syaoran knew about this. He had to know about this. He decided to ask Syaoran about it later.

"He died in my arms. I can't forget his last breath and his dying…body…"

Eriol couldn't speak to Mei-Ling's, feeling his heart ache at the thought of having Tomoyo's dying body in his arms.

For all he knew, it was better this way, not knowing that she died and continuing to think that she was busy with her work in England…

"How can I pretend to be strong at work when I know that my fiancée was killed by the hand of that bastard?"

Mei-Ling lowered her head once again at his hypothetical question. Unable to maintain her cool, Mei-Ling wrapped her arms around him.

Eriol felt a bit surprised by the act, seeing that she never did anything like this. He was tempted to push her away, but the way her warm body pressed against his made this feel alright.

When Mei-Ling felt his arms wrap around her, she tightened her grip around him, sensing his need for warmth. She wanted him to know that she would be there for him.

"It's ugly to lose somebody you love." Mei-Ling could feel the back of her eyes burn with tears.

A tear rolled down his cheek and he sighed, holding her close to him.

* * *

Touya walked towards his office, dressed in a black suit with his badge attached to his shirt. He had a cup of coffee in his hand.

His secretary's eyes locked on his approaching figure. She was slim and had long brunette hair that was tied back in a messy braid. She was dressed in a cream-colored suit with black heels.

"Good morning, Chief Kinomoto," she greeted as usual.

Touya looked at her and smirked a little, while sipping a bit of his coffee. "Good morning, Ms. Akizuki. It seems that you're in a good mood today."

She blushed and looked up at him shyly through her lashes.

Nakuru Akizuki was Touya's secretary for the last two years and she was the best by far.

Before he hired her, he had fired at least two secretaries a month because they all made him feel uncomfortable. They were annoying and all infatuated with him, which was not something he wanted to deal with. Nakuru, on the other hand didn't flirt with him and took her job seriously.

If Nakuru were being honest with herself, she could admit that she did have a crush on him, but she always remained professional, took his appointments with the District Attorney, or with the reporters if needed.

"Only because I adore my job, chief."

Touya chuckled a bit and scratched the back of his head nervously. "You're indeed a good secretary, Ms. Akizuki," he said absentminded and began to walk through his office doors, until Nakuru called him back.

Touya returned to her with interest in his eyes, waiting for what she had to say.

"Detective Li has requested to talk to you. I could call him in, or set up an appointment—"

Touya lifted a hand, stopping Nakuru's rambling. "Send him to my office, immediately."

Nakuru nodded as Touya entered his office. She pressed a button on the intercom, calling Syaoran's office.

"Detective Li, Chief Kinomoto has requested you come to the office."

" _Roger that. Thank you Akizuki._ "

* * *

Syaoran walked into Touya's office nervously, wondering how he could tell the chief that he had aborted the mission. He was sure that his boss would flip out and possibly fire him if he found out that his sister was helping him on the case.

But he decided that it would better to tell him, even if it meant his sister's safety and the loss of his job.

Touya sat on the desk as he lit a cigarette "Have a seat, Li."

Syaoran did as ordered, looking at Touya as he exhaled the tobacco out of his nose and mouth. He looked at Syaoran, without showing any emotion.

"You did as I asked?"

Syaoran nodded. "Yes. I think she knows things about the murderer."

Touya's eyes widened at Syaoran's proclamation, and he put his cigarette on the ashtray, crossing his arms against his chest. "What do you mean?"

Syaoran rose from his chair and looked at the chief serious. He chewed the inner part of his cheek nervously, trying to find the right words to say to his boss. "I think that she's a witness of one of the murders. She also knows people."

Touya nodded, appearing deep in thought. He had noticed Syaoran's behavior was normal and unaffected by the mention of Sakura's background. It was a wonder why he didn't feel disgusted or annoyed with Sakura.

He mused that maybe Syaoran had a bit of sympathy for people who had problems with drugs or sex in the past. Touya decided that he would check his dossier later in private.

"You're sure of what you're saying?" Touya asked carefully as he put his hands on the desk and continued to look at him.

Syaoran nodded once again, but dared not to speak another word. At least for now.

Touya grabbed his cigarette and put it between his fingers and sat in his chair, keeping his eyes on Syaoran.

"If I agree to this next mission that I have in mind, you do know that you're going to be her bodyguard, right? You'll stay with her at all times unti—"

"I asked her to collaborate with me."

Touya froze, stomach tying in knots.

"What did you do?!" His tone sounded deadly, but he tried to remain calm. His body language and expression said otherwise, though.

He had asked Syaoran to do one thing. _One_ thing. So, how did Syaoran put Sakura's life in danger during the course of one night?

True, Sakura's life had been in danger even before the murders of the Mostrum of Tokyo, but now she could be an easy target. A whore that helped the policeman? It was a contract with death, for sure.

Syaoran had expected Touya to be upset about this, but he could reason with him.

Syaoran bit his lower lip nervously, and his fists clenched, nails penetrating his skin. It was a habit that he had picked up on when he was little.

"She's strong-willed and she wouldn't give up. I'm entirely sure about that as much as you are. I thought that she could be a spy in the Red Light District, and she confirmed that by telling me that the murders began years ago".

Touya's brows scrunched together in fury. "You could have picked up any whore that works in that fucking place, but…not my sister, Li! _Not_ her!" Touya slammed his fist against the desk, some papers and objects moved, and a pen fell to the floor with a ' _clank_ '.

Syaoran closed his eyes and released his fists, sighing.

"Sakura would be an easy target for the Monstrum if she works with you…"

At those words, Syaoran saw red. True that he cared for his sister, but what about the other prostitutes that worked there? The drug dealers? The escorts? The gangs?

In Syaoran's eyes, every person was a human, even if they were 'sinners' who corrupted their body with sex or drugs.

"Yes, Kinomoto. But if I asked another prostitute, she would be in danger as well. Every single person is in danger in that district." He pointed out the window of Touya's office. "And no one gave a single fuck of the murders there until Mizumi got killed by that asshole!"

Touya's jaw tightened, but his eyes softened at Syaoran's outburst. He was right.

"You saw the look on Eriol's face yesterday. Do you want to see that look on everyone else's faces? Just because your sister is more important than any other stripper in that city?"

Touya felt a little guilty, agreeing with him, though he didn't say it out loud. Eriol was devastated when he saw his fiancée's body in one of the photos. He didn't want to see that look on anybody else's face, especially parents who didn't know that their sons or daughters had problems regarding drugs or sex.

He thought of how his parents would react if they found out on television that Sakura had been killed by the Mostrum. He would never forgive himself for even thinking about letting Syaoran do this, or Syaoran himself. But, he had to do this, protect **everyone**.

"You're right, Li. If my sister can help you… _please_ , protect her. Make sure she doesn't have a single scratch on her at the end of this case."

Syaoran nodded. "Roger that."

Suddenly, Touya's intercom beeped loudly and he pressed the button. " _Chief, a lady by the name of Sakura wants to see you._ "

Nakuru's voice caused Touya's blood to go cold.

Syaoran raised a brow, turning away from Touya to hide the blush that he was sure he had on his face at the mention of the woman.

Sakura had awakened thoughts that he never knew his mind was capable of during their talk in the locker room.

He had been tempted to take her and make her his in the most possible way by joining their bodies together as one. He wanted to feel her bare skin against his, taste her with his tongue. Surprisingly, he even wondered what Sakura could do with her mouth.

Touya would never approve of the attraction that Syaoran felt to her.

Syaoran had to stifle an annoyed groan at his pulsing manhood against his pants, just knowing that she was here.

"Let her in Ms. Akizuki. I know her."

" _Roger that._ "

Touya looked at Syaoran strangely before Syaoran composed himself, or as much as he could at the thoughts of his sister.

"I'll give you guys your privacy."

Touya nodded. "You may go now."


	3. Gilded Dirty Cage

_Welcome again! Thank you for all of your reviews and for putting this story in your faves :3 Also I've noticed in some reviews that some users were bashing my work just because of a paring, that it's Eriol and Mei-Ling. I have a "script" for all of my stories and I intend to follow it and I don't wanna screw the story up, you can't ask to Leonardo di Caprio to change the lines of the "flying" scene of the Titanic for example._

 _You're welcome to follow it and review but please no bashing just because of this, cause I put a lot of effort._

 _Enough of the rant and let's start!_

 _Thank you to animechick132 for beta-reading :3_

 _Let's go ^^_

* * *

 **Chapter 3:**

 **Gilded Dirty Cage**

* * *

Touya watched Syaoran leave his office as he sat in the chair with his hands in his hair, grasping the strands.

He couldn't believe that Detective Li had humiliated him by telling him that he didn't caring about the other innocent people that could probably die, thanks to the Monstrum of Tokyo.

Touya cared about Sakura so much that he lied to their parents about her being overseas to study when she is out stripping and selling her body. Why would his employee believe that he didn't care about innocent people, when he went through great highs for one?

When the doors opened, Touya's eyes shifted in the direction. And, there his little sister was, walking furtherin his office **.**

She was wearing a pink, sleeveless shirt with a denim jacket and shorts.

Sakura acknowledged him with a nod and distant stare. She couldn't bring herself to speak a word to him.

This was his fault that she's been far from home and living like an outcast in the pleasure district. The district where all the sinners and corrupters lived.

"Have a seat, Sakura," he said, motioning with his hand to a chair in front of his desk.

Sakura nodded again and obliged to the demand, sitting in the chair. She opened her purse and took out a package of cigarettes.

"Do you mind if I smoke? I can smell the burned cigars in this room."

Touya shook his head and slid the ashtray closer to Sakura.

Before he had even given her permission, she had alreadylit the cigarette. She exhaled the tobacco after a long whiff, causing the smoke to drown the room in a mist.

"I guess that smoking is your new vice. At least you're clean."

Sakura rolled her eyes and picked at the cigarette between her fingers.

Touya studied her for a bit, noticing the difference in her appearance. Over the years, she looked a lot slimmer, but curvier.

Her top area looked completely different from how he was used to seeing it, though he didn't look there. Her legs were a bit longer, and slimmer as well. She looked like a woman. However, in his eyes, she was still his little sister.

He looked at her face, seeing the mascara on her lashes, making her emerald eyes appear larger.

Sakura exhaled the tobacco out of her mouth and nose. "What is it?" she asked sourly, crossing her legs. She put the cigarette on the ashtray.

"Nothing, Sakura. It's just that…" He couldn't find the right words to tell her.

She was still his sister, but standing in front of him was another Sakura. She looked like a prostitute, even in "normal" clothes.

He couldn't believe what he had gotten Sakura into. And now, she was going to help Detective Li Syaoran find witnesses so they could solve the murderer case. More trouble.

Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes again. "Spit it out, Touya! You want to say that I look like a whore? Well, dear Onii-chan," she took her cigarette and put it between her lips, exhaling the tobacco after taking a whiff of it. Touya could feel the tension rising in the room, just as much as he could see the anger in her face and body language. "That's what I am, and you know what? I _love_ to fuck away the pain of my clients with my body. I love when they're rough with me, while taking me with their manhood –"

Touya raised a hand, silencing her with a hard expression on his face. He couldn't help but feel disgusted with the things she said.

"You _had_ to go into further details?! I don't approve of you working in the Red Lotus, and I don't approve of you selling your body for living, so why would you do that?! **"**

Touya slammed his fist against his desk to further prove his anger by her mannerism,but Sakura didn't react. She just remained firm and then surprised him with a chuckle, shaking her head, amused.

"Would you have preferred that I still involve myself with drugs while being at home with Otou-san and Okaa-san?" Sakura asked. Her legs were still crossed and her body language still remained tense as ever.

Touya couldn't find the words to explain how he felt, but inside, he was feeling furious; Angry with himself because he felt like he should have stopped Sakura before she got into drugs and from selling her body. But, he did support her with getting rid of the drug problems for a short time. She even had a decent job.

If only that stiff boss of hers wasn't so idiotic and fired her just because she was a junkie in the past.

Touya's hands balled into fists. He didn't like having arguments with her about her situation, especially when their parents were brought into discussion.

"You know that Otou-san and Okaa-san would be devastated, just _knowing_ what you have done and what you're _doing_ right now in that strip club." He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, and sucked in a nervous breath to calm his raging heart.

Sakura blinked once before studying Touya's expression and body language. She couldn't argue with him about this because he was right.

"Mother is dying. She has heart cancer, you know. And, if she knew that you are workingin that place, she would have a heart attack. She's too fragile at the moment."

Sakura lowered her gaze and put the cigarette on the ashtray again. The news of her mother having a cancer didn't lighten her mood one bit now, and was very shocking.

Her day just couldn't get any better, could it?

She had woken up on the floor after Yue's 'visit' at her apartment with the intent to take control of her body as if she were his. She wouldn't have gotten out of the situation easily either even if she reported it to the police.

Just because she did those things didn't mean that she wasn't human, along with all of her colleagues at the Red Lotus and her friends in the Red Light District.

Naoko was an orphan and had no relatives alive, so she was broke and had no other choice but to work as a prostitute. She did start off as a drug dealer, but she wasn't as successful in the end. So, Yue and Yukito took her in, and she began to sell her body.

Rika, on the other hand, was disowned by her parents, and relatives because she had gotten pregnant as a teenager. She found refuge in the pleasure district inside a gang. However, during a bank robbery, Rika miscarried and was devastated. So, she began to take drugs from the Tsukishiro twins and somehow started to sell her body for a living.

The three 'sinners' united when Yue announced that they needed strippers for the newly opened strip club years ago.

Likewise, Naoko, Rika and Sakura accepted. Sakura ended up signing a contract to give up her rights, though. Since her appearance is innocent and naïve, it was a waterfall of easy money, because of the image of a 'good girl gone bad'.

It was always like this in her life. Bad luck after bad luck, and ongoing bad luck. She could normally handle it.

But, knowing that her mother had heart cancer and would probably die soon, caused her heart to tighten in her chest. She could barely breathe anymore. Sadness filled her mind and she could feel the waters going cold in her diaphragm.

"How long does she have?" It was the only question that Sakura felt she could ask.

Nervously, Touya ran a hand through his hair and then he released a shaky breath. "The doctor said at least two months. The cancer is in the latest stage. Surgery would be futile…"

Sakura could feel the tears brimming in her eyes, but she blinked, letting them fall once she pulled her hands in front of her eyes.

Touya knew for a while that their mom had cancer, and was sure that Sakura didn't. She had cut off all ties with them, which only made Touya inform them that she had been studying hard overseas, so she didn't have the time to see them.

Sakura looked at him as the tears fell from her eyes, onto the desk. "You don't understand the hell that I've been through back to back, so what do you expect me to do, to feel? Jump for joy that Okaa-san is dying of cancer? Feel happy that you've told me too late?"

Touya bit his lip nervously. He thought of telling her immediately, but work had been sostressful that it had slipped his mind. He would have told her last night at his weekly visit to make sure that she was alright.

If Mizumi Katsuhito wasn't killed by the Monstrum, the plan wouldn't have been fucked up. Because of that, he had to send one of his best detectives to have a look on her.

"My job is to protect the people from anyone who goes againstthe law. It's a busy job, and you –"

Sakura rose from the chair and slammed her fist on the desk.

"Am I just a person who breaks the law, to you?! And what about the ones that died by the hand of the Monstrum before Mizumi?! Tomoyo died because of him… Because of him!" Sakura threw some papers towards him.

Touya felt heartbroken at the outburst of his sister. He didn't know what to say.

She lost her best friend because of the mysterious murderer. It was clear that the night Tomoyo died was still vivid in her mind.

Sakura could never forget the look in Tomoyo's eyes when her throat was sliced, that cold night of October…

Sakura wiped the tears away with her hand and sat back down in the chair, calming down from her outburst. "I'll come visit Okaa-san as soon as possible. I cannot give a guarantee day, though. Yue and Yukito never gives me a fucking free day." She took her cigarette and put it between her lips, exhaling a nervous breath. "I'm their hen of the golden eggs after all…"

Touya nodded sadly, knowing the hell she's living in at the moment. His heart stammered in his chest from the anger, knowing that the Tsukishiro twins would never give her a free night. Even if it was to visit her dying mother. They used her for the money and Touya couldn't digest that…

Sakura looked at him and played with the cigarette in her hand nervously. She didn't know what else to morning she had decided to ask the police to keep an eye on Yue. Besides being her frequent rapist, the words that he said to her still echoed in her head. " _I bet that even the Monstrum of Tokyo wants to get pleased by you…_ before _he kills you"._

She wasn't in complete control of herself when he said those words, because he took advantage of her emotional breakdown as she remembered Tomoyo's assassination. But, now, she could think straight about the statement.

Sakura suspected that Yue was a collaborator of the Monstrum only by those simple words put together. Maybe that's how two of her colleagues at The Red Lotus, Watanabe Ayami and Nakamura Yuriko, were found out and then killed brutally.

Sakura had to speak up and tell him what she knew about the Monstrum. She was certain that the killer was a man because of the way his eyes looked into hers that night Tomoyo died.

"Anyway, I'm here to tell you something. I might help you with this case."

Touya blinked once as he put both of his hands on the desk gently. Suddenly, he felt interested in the change of conversation. "You mean…you know who it is?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, but…I think he has a collaborator. I want some of your men to keep an eye on him."

Touya raised an eyebrow, shocked by this new information. But, he was willing to oblige. Months hadn't even passed yet, but he was already growing tired of the case. Especially with the journalists and reporters that were always harassing them about the case.

Luckily, the District Attorney, Mei-Ling and Detective Eriol could handle those vipers for a while. However, not even a day had passed after Mizumi's death before they were already looking for something new, every hour of the day.

"Tell me the name of the presumed collaborator. You can tell the other details to Detective Li Syaoran. He chose you as his partner for this case. He could have picked any other whore from your…" Touya tightened his fists and closed his eyes for a moment, feeling a bit of nausea in his stomach. "… _work place_. I'm sure he'll do something worthy for you".

Sakura smiled a little and felt her cheeks going warm for a moment. She was about to tell the collaborator's name when suddenly, the doors of Touya's office opened.

Sakura looked in the direction and saw a woman in her uniform.

She was slim and medium with long, brown hair that was tied in a neat braid and light brown eyes.

"Lieutenant Mihara, I hope you have good reasons to have burst in here like that," Touya said haughtily.

Chiharu gave an apologetic nod. She was stiff and looked like she had seen a ghost.

"I'm sorry, Chief Kinomoto, but…you must come and see this. There is something new on the news about the Monstrum".

Touya and Sakura locked gazes for a moment and then they both stood immediately.

Chiharu led them into the crowd of the agents and detectives that were watching the news right now. In between the crowd, they spotted Eriol, Mei-Ling, and Syaoran.

Sakura locked gazes with Syaoran for a moment.

He nodded towards her. "Kinomoto-san".

She offered a small smile. "Detective Li."

And then they both turned their attention on the news. The reporter was talking about the latest murder of the Monstrum, it seemed.

Most officers were with their hands over their mouths in disbelief, or with a worried look on their face.

Mei-Ling was biting her lower lip, staring intensely at the TV, while Eriol was clenching his fists, feeling the anger rise inside him.

Syaoran remained stiff, but felt nauseous at seeing the blurred images of the victim's body. He could presume that it had the same modus operandi of the Mostrum: Naked body, ripped clothes, throat sliced, and bruises on the body. He didn't forget the intestines out of the stomach, either.

His brows scrunched in concern as he thought of the disgusting techniques that the Mostrumused to kill its prey.

" _Another victim for the Mostrum of Tokyo_ _has been found._ _Though this time, not a business man, but a teacher of an elementary school in Tomoeda. Terada Yoshiyuki, thirty-four years old._ _He_ _was found in an alley with the same modus operandi of the Mostrum. The coroners haven't found any proof, but the Police of Setagaya District is working on the case._ "

At the mention of the name of the victim, Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as she placed a hand over her mouth, disgusted and surprised.

Terada had been Rika's client. And from the things she knew, he was always kind with Rika and didn't ask for anything in particular ways, unlike Naoko and Sakura's clients.

They had clients who asked for extreme things, such as bondages, or even threesomes with another prostitute in the Red Lotus.

"Rika…" she whispered to herself.

Syaoran looked at her with a raised brow, confused.

Touya walked towards the TV and stood in front of it. He looked at his employees with his arms crossed. "The Monstrum strikes again. We'll never know when he will attack again, but for certain, we will bring him to justice!"

A buzz of voices echoed in the room, not surprised by the reaction of Chief Kinomoto. He was always ready for duty and to keep the honor of the Setagaya Police Department high.

"I agree with chief," Syaoran said.

All of his colleagues looked at him, Sakura included.

She crossed her arms against her breasts with a raised brow. _I wonder what you have in mind to capture that bastard, sex bomb._

"That son of a bitch already knows that we are after him, but he doesn't know what we are made of! It wants us to be afraid, but I say that we work together with everyone in the Red Light District and see what they know about this unknown subject."

Sakura smiled at Syaoran's declaration, feeling a warm sensation in her stomach _._

"It's our duty as Detectives, Lieutenants, Agents, and even our District Attorney here," he pointed to Mei-Ling.

Mei-Ling shook her head.

Eriol placed an hand on Mei-Ling's shoulder, squeezing her forearm gently, in a friendly gesture.

Her face became flustered.

"To bring justice in this city, we will make him taste the dust, I'm sure of that!"

Touya nodded his head, satisfied. His lips pursued a satisfied smile, feeling content about the declaration of Syaoran to give his colleagues to give them courage to capture the Monstrum.

He clapped his hands, grabbing his employees' attention. "Detective Li is right. We will not show fear to that… _thing._ "

Everyone in the room gave a military salute. Sakura, however, remained stiff, arms still crossed against her breasts.

Touya turned to Chiharu with a serious face. "Lieutenant Mihara, you and Agent Yamazaki go to Tomoeda and you will examine the crime scene and interrogate the staff of the school where he worked."

Chiharu and Yamazaki nodded. "Roger that. We will go immediately," Chiharu said as she grabbed her gun, placing it on the holster.

Takashi took his holster with the gun already on it. After preparing themselves, they both left of the department.

Touya turned to Eriol and Mei-Ling, still with a serious look on his face. "Hiiragizawa, you and the District Attorney be prepared for the next Press release. I'm sure that the reporters will be ready to choke us again."

Eriol and Mei-Ling nodded. "I'm sure about that too. The District Attorney's offices will be full of them at the entrance in a few days for sure," Mei-Ling said as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Then, she left the room with Eriol.

"All of you there," he pointed to a group of people, "except Li, go to the Red Light District and interrogate everyone about the Monstrum. They want war, so war there will be!"

"Roger that!" they shouted.

Everyone else went back to their paperwork and calls, while others prepared to go in the Red Light District to interrogate all of the employees or inhabitants of the district.

Touya walked towards Syaoran.

Syaoran placed his hands behind his back. "So, I suppose that the case is mine, right?"

Touya nodded and then looked at Sakura. She was still with her arms crossed against her breasts and didn't speak a word.

"You will tell Detective Li what you told me, Sakura. Any objections?"

Sakura shook her head and released her arms, sighing. "No objections, but, I'm your sister, not one of the police. I'm just a whore who spreads her legs for unknown people."

Touya wanted to respond, but her response struck him like a dagger to his chest. He didn't want to start another fight with her.

He turned to Syaoran, seeing him in the same position. "Accompany my sister to her apartment, immediately"

Syaoran nodded. "Roger."

* * *

As Syaoran drove Sakura to her apartment in Shibuya District, they both remained silent for a while.

When the tension between them became suffocating, Sakura decided to tell him everything that she told Touya; from her suspects of Yue that tracked down some of her colleague's death by the Monstrum, to what happened at her apartment the other night with Yue.

Syaoran mentally noted everything she said while driving to her apartment.

Sakura told him everything besides the frequent times she had been raped by Yue for the last year. She figured that he wouldn't believe her anyway.

Syaoran stopped the car once they arrived. He got out, hearing Sakura do the same. "You have no idea how this will help me for the case, Kinomoto-san."

Sakura turned to him and raised a brow. "Yes. I believe that bastard helps the Monstrum. I wouldn't bet my finger on it, but…"

Syaoran nodded as he walked towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I can assure you that this bastard will be found. You can count on that." Unconsciously, he caressed her shoulder as he spoke.

Sakura felt a warm sensation in her stomach and between her legs, like she had a bad hangover but the sensation was… _good,_ strangely _._

Something told her that Detective Li Syaoran was extremely good in bed, and placed the pleasure of his woman in bed first.

Her mind even went as far to believe that he would do anything she asked him to do, including kiss her in the most sensitive places that she loved the most –her earlobe, or even her intimate areas.

Another part told her that he could be very gentle, but passionate at the same time.

The temptation to take him into her apartment and make him one of her clients was strong, but she remembered that she was just his partner. Physical acts would just throw the plan of the case off.

"After all, you're Chief Kinomoto's sister and I'm sure you'll be just as good as him. Blood ties don't lie".

Sakura let out a short laugh, and then her eyes caught sight of a figure.

He was walking with a few grocery bags in his arms. He had short, silver hair, round glasses, and the same eyes as Yue.

 _Shit,_ was the only word that she could think of as Yukito walked towards them.

Then, an idea came to Sakura's mind. She took Syaoran's hand and dragged him in an alley next to her apartment. Her back touched the building as she faced Syaoran, who was standing in front of her with raised brows at the sudden change of act. "What are you doing?" he asked, raising his voice a little.

Sakura placed a finger to her lips, silencing him suddenly.

"Keep your voice down," she whispered. "I saw Yukito walking towards me. I can't let him suspect that I went to the police."

Syaoran looked towards the exit of the alley for the Yukito guy she mentioned.

Sakura removed her denim jacket and let it fall on the asphalt. "What do you ha–"

His gaze turned to Sakura as he watched her remove the belt from her shorts.

"Act like we are in the middle of foreplay. You can do anything you want with my body. No limits."

Syaoran blinked once, surprised by her instructions. And then, he was reminded that he had his uniform jacket on. Luckily, he had a black shirt under it. He removed his jacket and placed it on the ground.

He grabbed Sakura's waist and pulled her closer to him. They locked gazes for a moment, their breaths synchronized as his heart was pulsing inside his chest.

Sakura could feel her insides going warm at the view of his warm, amber eyes.

 _I can have a bit of fun for a while…_

It was Syaoran that placed his lips against hers first as he caressed her waist. He tasted her like his life depended on it.

Sakura was taken by surprise at Syaoran's kiss, but she kissed him back nonetheless. She slid her hands under his shirt, rising them up to his chest.

With her fingers, she caressed his nipples until they became hard. She could feel his manhood pulsing against her between her legs. Sakura brought her leg up a little against Syaoran's waist.

With her tongue, she asked for entrance inside his mouth.

He opened his mouth for her tongue as his hand roamed around her stomach until it slid down inside her shorts and panties, finding her womanhood.

Sakura removed her hands from his chest and brought a hand into his hair. With a firm gesture, she removed his lips from her own and forced him to kiss her neck.

He was happy to oblige. He even heard Sakura moan near his ears as his fingers in her shorts caressed her.

Sakura felt his manhood become hard inside his pants. Knowing that the beast had been awakened, she wanted to take his pants off and have her way with it.

Syaoran placed his index and middle finger inside her and began to move them inside her wet core.

She moaned as she caressed Syaoran's hair. She closed her eyes, feeling the pleasure build that she was receiving from him. Her assumptions had been right after all.

Syaoran moaned with her as she caressed his hair again.

They locked gazes for a moment until he felt his manhood pulsing and aching against his pants. He had the temptation to tear Sakura's shorts off and possess her body already.

They kissed again, adding more passion to it, and he removed his hand from her shorts. He could feel and see from his fingers how wet she had gotten from the simple touch. He caressed her waist again, believing that they had done enough.

But, Sakura had other plans. She placed her hand against his chest and shoved him from her, a few centimeters and trapped him against the building.

She reached up so her lips were near his ear with a smirk on her face. "Now, it's my turn," she whispered in his ear.

He felt his manhood become harder. Then, he saw Sakura drop to her knees. She began unbuttoning his pants and sliding his boxers down a bit.

Her smirk widened as she massaged Syaoran's member with her hands.

He groaned as her hand rubbed him, feeling himself become harder in her hands. He closed his eyes, knowing what was coming.

Sakura put her mouth on his manhood and began to lick and suck it.

He groaned at the touch of her tongue on his member and felt shivers glide down his spine as his hands balled into fists, while she continued to suck his member.

When he felt her teeth against him, he couldn't help but groan in pleasure. Syaoran was about to come into Sakura's mouth, but he tried to hold off a little longer. However, soon after, he couldn't help but release in her mouth the more her head bobbed.

Syaoran closed his eyes as he felt Sakura button his pants.

Sakura had his fluids on the sides of her mouth, so she wiped it away with her thumb. "I think that Yukito is gone," she said as if nothing had happened.

Syaoran said nothing as he looked down at Sakura who was bending on her knees to pick up her denim jacket from the asphalt.

"Yeah, I think so too," were the only words that he could say at the moment.

He heard his voice sound rough, just as much as he felt his lips swollen from the kisses that he shared with Sakura.

She could feel her lips swollen as well and her body warm from Syaoran's touch. "I think you better go now. Your wife will go mad if she knows that you had a sexual escapade with me."

Syaoran raised a brow as he put his jacket back on. "You mean the District Attorney?" He chuckled a bit at his own question. Sakura couldn't help but smirk. "She's my cousin, Kinomoto-san. But, no… I'm not married." He approached Sakura and placed a hand on her cheek gently.

She raised a brow, but her smirk was still on her face. "So… if you want, we can have fun together?"

Syaoran shook his head but couldn't help but smirk back at her. "Let's solve the case first, Lady Marmalade." Then, he removed his hand from her and walked away.

Sakura's smirk faded away as he walked towards his car. She thought of what happened minutes before and felt dirty, shameful, and like a sinner.

But, isn't that what she is? A prostitute who spread her legs for everyone and let everyone do whatever they want with her body.

She blamed herself for this again, but remembered why she was working with him.

But suddenly, her redemptions seemed far away in her eyes.

How could she trust Detective Li Syaoran? Could she put her life in this man's hands?

She didn't have a straight answer at the moment and could only sigh as she walked towards her apartment.

* * *

Syaoran tossed his keys on the little table as he entered his living room and sat on the couch.

It was 11:30 PM and he wasn't tired at all. Mei-Ling had invited him to have dinner with her and Eriol at the nearby McDonalds. They had to work on the press release for tomorrow. They only got half of it done.

Syaoran had told them the information that Sakura gave him, but told them to keep her identity anonymous since there was a possibility that Yue would suspect her. She didn't want to riskYue giving her to the Monstrum of Tokyo.

Mei-Ling had reassured him that Sakura would remain anonymous. She even told him that she would tell the press that he was working solo on the case.

Syaoran rose from the couch and walked to the kitchen. He opened his fridge, taking a bottle of soda out to drink it for a bit.

His mind drifted back to the moment of intimacy he briefly shared with the woman back inShibuya. He remembered how his manhood ached with his lust for her body.

Then, her mouth had solved the problem, giving him his release in her mouth, almost without thinking.

His chief, Kinomoto Touya, would probably kill him if he knew that he had a sexual escapade with his sister because Sakura asked him to. It was only to cover herselffrom Tsukishiro Yukito, the other owner of the Red Lotus.

Sakura didn't want to let Yukito know that she went to the police to report his twin brother. Yue would have probably killed her if he knew…

So, he agreed with the escapade. His body didn't feel the least bit satisfied, though. He knew that he craved her the moment he laid eyes on her at the club, watching her dance against that pole. The thought of it even made his body hot.

He could understand why Yukito and Yue didn't want to let her go from the Red Lotus Strip Club.

She looked naïve and innocent, which only attracted men of all ages and race.

Syaoran knew that Sakura was better than this, though. He could see it with his own eyes.

Stubborn, sultry, and ready to defend herself was how she presented herself. He could tell that shefaced hell to survive in this cruel world. Syaoran never had problems with drugs, but one of his sisters had, so he knew about it.

Fanren, his oldest sister, had problems with drugs. She was stealing her mother jewels just to have money to get them.

Obviously, when the press of Hong Kong knew about Fanren's problems with drugs, it was a dishonor to the Li Family since they are one of the most influential families in China.

Fanren was sent to a medical center immediately and after some years, she was clean and ready to take the lead of the Li Corporation in China. She is the oldest, so she had to take on the responsibilities. She even got married and had four wonderful kids.

From what he knew, she was expecting the fifth one now.

His thoughts drifted back to Sakura. He knew that she put up a strong façade just to defend herself from the judgement of people.

She hated society and even the city of Tokyo.

Sakura was an outcast, a whore… a prostitute from the Red Light District.

How could he trust her to work with him in an important case like this?

Deep down, he knew that he could trust her with everything, for some reason, though.

She kept herself locked in a gilded cage just because she had been the hen of the golden eggs for the Tsukishiro Twins.

 _Why am I worrying about her personal issues? She's just a whore... and the chief's sister._

Syaoran drank his soda and tossed the bottle in the trashcan after finishing. He leaned against the wall and slid down, sitting on the floor.

He still felt hot, and his manhood was still pulsing against his pants.

Syaoran hated to admit it, even though his boss would probably kill him. But, he was extremely attracted to a stripper by the name of Kinomoto Sakura, the sister of his Chief.


	4. Far From Home

_Hi there :D It's always me; Anya xD Sorry for keeping you wait but… A lot happened in my life right now…_

 _I was sick, I'm preparing for a surgery and also my grandmother died last month, so… I didn't had a good month, also I was fired from my part time job and I'm looking for a job ATM._

 _But let's leave my rants to the dust and let's move to the chapter :D_

 _Thank you as always to animechick132 for Beta reading ^^_

 _Let's go!_

* * *

 **Chapter 4;**

 **Far From Home**

* * *

Three days had passed since Mizumi Katsuhito's murder and yet, the department of Setagaya District had not found anything about the murderer.

Syaoran had taken Sakura's words to mind and some of the detectives were following Yue Tsukishiro anonymously. Luckily, they had not been caught by the drug dealer yet. Syaoran only found that the man takes methamphetamine and smokes marijuana. But still, nothing suspicious about his collaboration with the Monstrum of Tokyo.

As Syaoran drank his usual morning coffee in front of the coffee machine of the department, he couldn't help but feel like Sakura had not told him everything.

Maybe she was hiding something that could hurt her brother but didn't want to risk losing track of the Monstrum at the same time, he tried reasoning.

After finishing his coffee, he tossed the plastic cup into the trashcan and walked towards the exit, feeling the need to have fresh air for his lungs, while also getting the opportunity to clear his mind.

In the last three days, Sakura told him that she couldn't manage to contact the possible witnesses of the previous murders. As far as he knew, two of them worked in the same place as her.

 _There must be a reason that she asked to keep an eye on Yue, besides her suspects of him being a collaborator of the Monstrum._

It was all he could think of at the moment as he passed towards the entrance of the department and closed the door.

Syaoran closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the fresh November air. It was like a silent meditation for himself and to calm down the anxiety he had because of the case.

The case was his, so all the responsibility was placed on him. He still had not talked with the journalists about the updates of the case. Honestly thinking, he didn't even want to talk with them.

He knew they would say that the Monstrum of Tokyo was nothing more than a citizen of the Red Light District,who killed Mr. Mizumi just for the sake of taking his money to buy drugs or hire prostitutes in the end.

As far as Syaoran was concerned, all the journalists could go to hell. They only gave the image of an illusion of a perfect world without crimes and murderers, but the world is a cruel place, as Mei-Ling always told him.

Her former boyfriend died in her arms during the capture of the murderer in Hong Kong and Syaoran knew that she was devastated. No one could hide their emotions when someone they loved died in their arms.

His sister, Fei-Mei, used to be a musical actress. But now, she was retired because she's a mother of two kids. She decided to let go of all that to care for her children. He remembered her telling him that actors are good at controlling their emotions, but not when someone dies unexpectedly.

At those memories, Syaoran could only sigh and run his hand through his hair. "Emotions are hard to hide…" he muttered to himself as he looked up at the skyscrapers of Setagaya District.

"Detective Li!" a feminine voice called.

Syaoran looked towards the direction of the voice and rolled his eyes as he saw who it was. She was dressed in a black jacket, pants, and a white shirt, with high kneels on her feet. She had blue eyes and dirty blonde hair that was tied back in a professional bun.

 _Please, any journalist on this city, but not her._

It was the main journalist who insisted on bothering him.

"Shinomoto Akiho of JNN's News reporting. If you have some time, I would like to ask you some questions about the Mizumi's case and what you have found so far," Akiho asked with a tablet in her hands, ready to record everything that Syaoran would say to her.

Syaoran shook his head and gave her an unkind look. "I know how you work Shinomoto-san and I don't trust you. You only toss shit to my department, so there is no need to carry this any further."

Akiho fumed at his answer but knew that he was right.

During a murder case two years ago, she said that the chief of Setagaya's Department was a junkie. She even went as far to say that Touya was involved in the case of a murdered family.

Many careers ended because of Shinomoto. It was only when Mei-Ling said the truth that Touya wasn't a junkie that people began to believe in the Police Department of Setagaya.

Shinomoto Akiho was not a journalist that could be trusted, because she disrupted the reality of what the real facts were. So, it was only likely that Syaoran didn't want to be bothered by her cameras and none-sense questions.

"So many harsh words Detective, but I do my job in the end. So, shall we begin with the questions?" Akiho asked but didn't look him in the eyes since she kept her eyes on her tablet, preparing herself to record Syaoran's voice.

He rolled his eyes once again, feeling annoyed.

"You don't have to ask him questions, Miss Shinomoto. I'm in charge to answer the questions."

Syaoran turned his head towards the voice and smiled in relief. It was Eriol.

He walked towards his friend and to the journalist, with his arms crossed against his chest.

Akiho smiled almost triumphantly. "Good. I believe that I have some questions for you, Detective Hiiragizawa instead of your handsome colleague here."

Eriol shook his head, an amused grin on his face. "Wait for the next press release and you'll ask the questions that you want to ask, but for now," he raised his index and middle fingers and moved them, just to tease the journalist, " _Nothing to declare_ ".

Akiho fumed again and looked at the both of them with a hard look on her face, especially at Eriol.

She hated him because at every single moment that she tried to have a scoop on a specific case in the past, he always used those words. _Nothing to declare_ was a prohibition for her to go further in her career, since she aspired to be the anchorwoman of JNN's News.

"Son of a…" She didn't finish her sentence and turned her back to the two detectives, walking away in a fast pace.

Syaoran sighed in relief and placed a hand on Eriol's shoulder. "Thank you, man. I wasn't in the mood for answering questions today."

Eriol nodded. "Shinomoto Akiho just does her job, but she isn't that much of a great journalist. She prefers to live under that perfect illusion that she's created for herself."

Syaoran didn't answer his affirmation because he knew he was right, and not only about Akiho but with every other person in that whole city. They lived in their own perfect illusion, pretending that everything was perfect and in order in Tokyo.

But to the core, the city was corrupted with crimes, drug trafficking, and journalists who didn't care about any of it.

"Yeah, she does her job, just to spread shit all over again about the Department, for sure," he muttered under his breath as he ran a hand through his chestnut hair. "I never trusted her…"

Eriol nodded and twisted his lips. "Me neither. Miss Shinomoto is a nasty one. I would not get her pissed, if I were you," he said as he patted his shoulder and walked back to the department.

Instead of Syaoran following him, he watched Akiho walking away, seeing her talk on the phone. He raised an eyebrow and walked towards her in a slow pace, as if he was moving in stealth. Once he was close enough to hear her, Syaoran stopped and leaned against the wall, since the journalist stopped in the middle of her walking.

"Mhm, so you're saying that Chief Kinomoto has a sister that works in The Red Lotus? Interesting…"

At the mention of the strip club, Syaoran felt his stomach tightening. He couldn't allow Sakura to be discovered by the mass media and he certainly couldn't allow Touya's name to be dishonored again by Shinomoto.

"What? You're saying that she's going to Tomoeda at this moment? Yeah, I'll go there and keep an eye on her, be assured. I work with you only to have that anchorwoman's work."

Syaoran couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and felt his throat go dry.

 _A journalist that worked with the Monstrum?_

The lists of the suspects were growing in his book.

So far, they had Tsukishiro Yue, thanks to Sakura. A drug dealer and the owner of The Red Lotus strip club with his twin brother Yukito. There were some strippers in the club who were killed by the hand of the Monstrum and that grew suspects on Sakura after she told Syaoran that Yue said, " _I bet that even the Monstrum of Tokyo wants to get pleased by you… before he kills you._ "

Now, he had Shinomoto Akiho, a journalist of JNN's news, who wanted to desperately be the anchorwoman of the news channel and, maybe, the Monstrum corrupted her to be one of his collaborators. Perhaps it convinced her to act innocent towards Syaoran and Eriol and to get everyone's attention away from the matters at hand, so he could find his next victim.

Syaoran immediately took out his phone after hearing what he had to hear and quickly typed a message to Sakura.

 _From: Li Syaoran_

 _To: Kinomoto Sakura_

 _-If you meet a journalist by the name of Shinomoto Akiho, be careful. I think she's another collaborator of the Monstrum, I wouldn't bet my hand on her, but if she wants to ask you some questions just say:_ _ **Nothing to declare**_ _. Again, be careful._

He sent the message and then released an anxious breath from his lungs. He had no idea why he told her to 'becareful _'_ twice _._

He could admit that his body does crave hers, even before the sexual escapade they had in the alley three days ago.

At the memory, his body grew hot and hard.

He even saw her in his dreams, dancing for him against a pole as she undressed herself for him inside of The Red Lotus. In his dreams, they were always alone while he sat in a chair as Sakura danced against the pole, with a smirk on her face, letting her clothes slip on the floor.

Because of that escapade, Syaoran couldn't stop having dreams like that and he couldn't pretend to not know what she could do with her mouth against his skin, or even just his manhood. He even wanted to know what her hands could do to his body.

He was sexually attracted to Sakura, he could admit. If Touya found out, he would probably skin him alive since Syaoran knew everything Touya was doing is to protect Sakura from the drugs and from her position as a stripper of the Red Light District.

Syaoran shook his head and his left hand clenched into a fist as he brought it to his forehead.

 _She's the chief's sister, damn it! Chief Kinomoto will skin you alive if he knew that you're sexually attracted to his sister. Get a grip, Syaoran!_

And with this remark to himself, he walked back towards the department to let Touya know about his suspects on Shinomoto.

* * *

As _Last Dance_ by Broach was on her earphones, Sakura walked the streets of Tomoeda as the late afternoon sun embraced the cherry blossom. She looked at them with a sad smile on her face. She remembered her childhood when she used to walk these streets, going to school with her brother and Tomoyo.

A tear rolled down her cheek, but her smile didn't fade. She kept those memories within her heart because she cherished them like the most precious treasures ever. Now, here she is, a woman that works as a stripper who had problems with drugs.

Sakura sometimes wondered if she could be a child again, so naïve to the world that she now knows all too well. Being with her mother that gave her the most delicious cupcakes to share with her classmates during elementary school was something she really missed. The childhood crushes that she always shared with Tomoyo were precious too.

Sakura remembered everything, the most dreadful memories, and even the night when her best friend was killed by that mischievous Monstrum that is probably still looking for more victims to kill without any hesitation. She even wondered when it would be her time to die by the hand of that bastard, but she promised to herself one thing; she would not die by his hand. She would get him put into prison with her brother and Syaoran's help.

Sakura stopped in front of a house and removed her earphones from her ears. She took her phone out to stop the music and her gaze turned to the house in front of her. The smile that she had on her face disappeared, remembering the last time that she was in this house.

There was the fight with Touya when he knew that she was fired from Amamiya's Corporation the drugs she found herself resorting back to. He had found her in her room while she was sniffing cocaine.

Their parents weren't at home when it happened, but Touya continued to remark it during dinners and lunches but not by saying her name but telling their parents that he arrested some drug dealers.

Sakura sighed as she rang the doorbell.

A man opened the door and Sakura forced herself to give him a smile.

"Hi, Dad," she said, placing her hand on her right shoulder, feeling nervous on how to behave in front of her father.

It had been a long time since she saw him, which meant that she had not seen her mother either.

Fujitaka embraced her almost immediately and Sakura was motionless for a moment, shocked by the sudden gesture that her father gave her. After hesitating, she embraced him back and patted his back.

"Welcome back, Sakura," he said as he broke the embrace, allowing Sakura to walk through the door.

The house had not changed as she recalled from her memories. The only thing that changed was the door mat and some paintings that hung on the wall.

Sakura felt the shivers running down her spine as she walked the hallway. There was the scent of freshly baked cookies. They followed the smell.

Once they were in the kitchen, she saw a woman standing in front of the oven with an apron and her long hair tied in a messy ponytail.

"Nadeshiko, look who came to visit," Fujitaka said to his wife as he tapped Sakura's shoulder.

Nadeshiko turned to her and remained motionless for a while but Sakura didn't think twice and walked towards her, giving her mother a hug. Sakura held her close, inhaling her scent of cookie dough and cinnamon.

Nadeshiko hugged her back and closed her eyes, not believing that her daughter was in front of her own eyes. "I missed you, child," she said in a whispered voice.

Sakura felt her throat go dry and her eyes felt heavy. She didn't want to shed any tears since she had cried a lot during these following three days.

She thought of Tomoyo once again and the guilt in her heart was heavy. Everything was so hard to bear, but she promised when she began to work at The Red Lotus that she would be strong, even in the hardest times.

But it was too hard to wear that façade around her mother. The same woman who gave her life was dying from cancer. She knew that when the moment came, she would screw up her job for a few days and not care about what Yukito and Yue had to say about her.

A relative who was dying is always an emotional blow that no one could escape the pain easily.

"I missed you too, mother."

* * *

The three Kinomoto's sat by the kitchen table with a cup of tea in front of them and the freshly baked cookies that Nadeshiko had just made.

Sakura drank her tea silently, watching both of her parents. Even though they seemed old, she could see that they still loved each other. She couldn't help but hope that one day she could find someone that would love her like her father loved her mother.

But she knew deep down inside, no one would love her for what she is. Sakura was a junkie in the past and right now, a prostitute who sells her body just to please the men of Tokyo.

" _The image of a good girl gone bad_ " Yukito always reminded her.

Her body had marks, not only from her clients, but also from Yue who he took advantage of her whenever he had the opportunity.

Sakura felt disgusted with herself and the life that she chose, but she was no longer innocent. Her virginity was stolen from a stranger just because she needed money to buy drugs from the Tsukishiro twins. That innocent and naïve life was far too gone.

"So, Sakura, how's life overseas?" her mother's voice interrupted her thoughts.

She looked at her with a distracted look on her face, trying to figure out what her mother meant.

 _Oh yeah, the lie that Touya told them._

"It's fantastic. Italy is really beautiful and I'm falling in love with the place," she said as she placed the cup of tea on the table.

Fujitaka nodded with a smile on his face as he took a cookie from the plate. "You're staying in one of the major islands of that country, aren't you?"

Sakura nodded as she took her purse and grabbed her package of cigarettes out.

"Yes, and I have to say, Italy is truly wonderful. You should come and visit sometimes. It's truly magnificent," she said, almost in a non-caring tone about the lie that Touya had come up with to keep her parents at bay for a bit.

Sakura hated lying. She missed her family, but she would never admit it, because she felt disappointed by Touya's gesture when he knew about the drugs. She could never forgive him.

She sighed at the thought as she lit her cigarette.

Nadeshiko blinked at Sakura's new habit and crossed her fingers together, looking at how her daughter had grown so much.

"I guess that you started smoking because of the studies?" Nadeshiko asked as she took her cup of tea and approached it in front of her lips.

 _No Okaa-san, I started because I didn't want any drugs in my body._

Cigarettes were a distraction from the drugs, she had to admit it, but they were killing her lungs and she didn't care.

She nodded as she took a whiff of her cigarette and exhaled the tobacco out of her mouth, making a cloud of smoke.

For a while, Nadeshiko looked solemn and down at the table, batting her eyelashes. Fujitaka noticed it and squeezed her shoulder softly. "It's your decision to tell her, Nadeshiko…" he said as he gave her a peck on the cheek.

Sakura looked at them for a moment and put her cigarette on the edge of the table, closing her eyes. She could breathe the tension in from her parent's body language towards each other, like they were keeping a secret from her.

She had half an idea of what they might tell her. She could still remember Touya's voice when he announced that her mother was dying from heart cancer. Sakura had not digested the news and it was still on her mind. Her performance at The Red Lotus was even poor, causing her to lack in getting money from clients.

Yukito was pissed at her poor performance on stage. He abused her verbally. His words still echoed in her head, " _You're a fucking stripper, Sakura. Not a crybaby anymore."_

The Tsukishiro twins abused and used her for the money, just so they could smoke marijuana or take cocaine or even methamphetamine. Luckily, Sakura was clean, and she closed the door to those scenes and never looked back, even if her life depended on it.

"I know what you want to tell me," she said, opening her eyes. She took her cigarette again in between her fingers.

Fujitaka and Nadeshiko looked at her, surprised by that statement.

Sakura nodded and took a breath before speaking, "You waited until I came to visit you to tell me, but there's no need to tell me that…" She lowered her gaze, biting her lower lip to push back the tears that she thought were going to fall at any moment.

She looked at them. "Touya told me everything through Skype, and…well…" Her mind told her to be strong, but her heart had already shattered into a million of pieces. Before she could stop herself, she was already bursting into tears and sobbing loudly. She covered her face, ashamed of her outburst.

She just couldn't be strong when something like this struck her mind and heart. It felt like her heart was bleeding from the daggers of news pricking at it. She couldn't help the guilt of lying to her parents like this anymore either. She didn't want to lie to them, but how could she just tell them the truth when it would disappoint them?

Nadeshiko rose from her chair and walked towards Sakura, caressing her forearm. She placed her chin on Sakura's shoulder. "There's nothing we can do. Surgery would be futile, my child, but you know something?" she paused for a moment to take a breath.

Sakura lowered her hands and placed them on the table, the tears still falling from her eyes freely. She clenched her hands into fists as the sobs continued to escape her mouth.

"Life isn't fair…" she said in a broken voice.

Fujitaka couldn't handle seeing his daughter like this and took her fist into his hand, caressing them gently and he gave her a sad smile. Sakura could see the sadness in his eyes and tried to contain her sobs, failingly.

"Sakura, all I can say is that life is cruel. We are all condemned to death since birth. Our goal is to reach and live a good life. Your mother was strong enough to handle this news and…" He stopped for a moment, catching his breath. A tear fell down his cheek.

Sakura looked at him with tears still falling from her eyes and Nadeshiko continued to caress her shoulder.

It was like they were comforting her as if she was seven years old again, like when she had a nasty fall or a bruise on her leg but this time, she was experiencing a deeper level of pain.

Sakura couldn't handle losing her mother. She had lived through hell with drugs and now prostitution. But her only regret now was making them believe the lie Touya had created. Now, she wanted to find a good man who is willing to marry her, not caring about the past with drugs and to make those lies become a reality.

But who would love a prostitute? Men only paid them to have a night of unconventional sex. They could be rough and bring to life some nasty fantasies from their mind.

Sakura was dying on the inside to tell them the truth about everything, but she couldn't, because she didn't want to bring ulterior pain on her parents if they knew about her problems.

Nadeshiko took Sakura's chin between her fingers and smiled at her, a calm smile that gave a bit of relief to Sakura's heart. A tear fell from her eyes as well, but her smile didn't disappear.

"When the doctor said that surgery would be futile, and that soon I will die, you know what I did?"

Sakura shook her head.

Nadeshiko continued to smile. "I smiled, because I know I lived a good life. I raised two beautiful children. Touya is doing great in his career and you're about to take your degree overseas. I'm sure that when my pain take me away, you two will find someone and you'll have children and grow old, and live a healthy and happy life." Nadeshiko caressed her hair, silent tears falling from her eyes. "And I promise that I'll be watching over you, until the day we meet again."

Sakura couldn't handle anymore and hugged her mother.

Nadeshiko's eyes widened from the sudden gesture but she hugged her back, holding her close, like a grapevine with the stones.

 _I just want to tell you the truth, but I don't want that you'll have a heart attack for the things that I've done._

Sakura sobbed harder into her mother's chest and tears continued to fall from her eyes. Fujitaka rose from his chair and joined the embrace between them.

Sakura felt her heart become heavy in her chest again. She loved both of her parents, and she was lying just to keep the perfect illusion that she was a normal girl like anybody else in Tomoeda.

She wished that things could have gone better. She cursed herself for being a stripper and for lying but she had no other choice but to do that now.

"I love you, Sakura. And…" Nadeshiko took a breath and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Whatever you have done wrong, I'm sure that it's to keep us safe," she whispered into her ear as if she knew that Sakura was hiding something from them.

Sakura was dazed for a moment, as if she knew that she and Touya had told her a lie to keep her and Fujitaka safe.

"I'm proud of you."

Sakura couldn't believe her ears and broke the hug. She dried her tears with her palm and smiled at both of her parents.

"I love you too, Okaa-san, Otou-san."

Fujitaka and Nadeshiko smiled at her and returned to their seats, continuing to speak about what they had done while Sakura was "overseas."

It was like a beautiful afternoon that they usually had when Sakura was in middle school and Touya went off to college, talking about how their day went at school or for their parents, the job.

The three continued to talk until it was time for Sakura to leave, since she had to rest a bit before the show at The Red Lotus.

Nadeshiko insisted on her staying at their home, but Sakura said that she couldn't be a bother to them since she had a hotel room booked next to the airport.

 _If only they knew…_

* * *

 _From: Kinomoto Sakura_

 _To: Detective Li Syaoran_

 _-Roger that Detective. Seems like you're worried about me. Don't worry about me, but it's cute to know that you care._

It was only when she walked towards the train station, that she noticed the text from Syaoran. She had turned her phone off because she didn't want to be disturbed while visiting her parents.

Sakura had five missed calls from Rika and about 10 messages, including Syaoran's warning about the journalist.

"Just great, not only this, but a journalist has to piss me off," she muttered to herself as she took her phone out again and texted Rika.

 _From: Kinomoto Sakura_

 _To: Sasaki Rika_

 _-Hey beautiful, sorry I had some shit to deal with and I had to turn my phone off. Something's wrong?_

And she sent the message to her colleague and friend. Deep inside, Sakura knew that Rika was devastated for her client, Terada Yoshiyuki's, death. She felt that she was infatuated with her client, because he was always kind, gentle, and never dared to do extreme things.

Maybe Rika was even trying to leave the Red Light District and live a normal life, but now she couldn't. Once in the circle of prostitution and drugs, it was hard to get out of it, and Sakura knew it better than any other.

But right now, she was helping Li Syaoran with the case of the Monstrum of Tokyo. It was her only way of redemption from her sins.

Even though she grew strong over these years working at the Red Lotus as a stripper and prostitute, she still had a fragile heart.

She wasn't over Tomoyo's death. It was still a deep wound in her heart and she felt that the wound would never heal until the Monstrum was captured. Sakura could only fight and search for witnesses that she knew.

It was a silent promise that she decided to keep in her heart, until the murderer would be put behind bars or that it would be killed accidentally by the police. Sakura hoped more for the second option than the first one.

Before that could happen, there was something else that she should work on; her relationship with Li Syaoran.

She didn't want to get closer to him, but her body craved for his. She could feel the heat between her legs when she thought about the sexual escapade in that alley and how his tongue explored her mouth.

She shivered at the thought of his tongue on the intimate parts of her body.

 _He's a detective and you're a whore Sakura, get a grip!_

"Excuse me!" a feminine voice interrupted her thoughts, stopping her in her tracks.

Sakura turned to the voice and saw a woman with dirty blonde hair tied in a bun and notes in her hand.

"Yes? How may I help you?" Sakura asked in a cold voice as she crossed her arms against her chest.

The woman seemed hesitant to talk but she looked Sakura up and down.

Sakura rolled her eyes and groaned at the reaction of the woman in front of her.

"Look miss, I'm going to miss the train for Shibuya and I have to—"

"—go to The Red Lotus, I know that," the woman said and smirked at her.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, confused.

"I'm Shinomoto Akiho of JNN's News. I know that you're working with Detective Li Syaoran for the Monstrum of Tokyo Case. Since your partner didn't seem willing to answer some questions, maybe a prostitute of the Red Light District and even the mysterious partner of our handsome detective could."

Sakura rolled her eyes once again and rose her hand to her eyes, already annoyed by the journalist.

"So, could you answer some questions, Kinomoto-san?" Akiho said, preparing her pen to write on her notes.

Sakura's eyes widened at the mention of her family name. She removed the hand from her eyes and clenched it into a fist. "Look Shinomoto, I hate to be rude, but Detective Li has warned me about you."

Akiho's lips formed into a malicious smile and she nodded.

"Nothing to declare. Now, I need to go." And she walked past Akiho, reaching into her pocket to grab out her headphones.

Her hand found them, but before she could plug them into her phone, she could hear Akiho mutter, "Stupid whore."

Sakura could only smirk at the insult from Akiho as she pressed play on her phone. In the meanwhile, Rika had answered her, and Sakura didn't think twice about it and opened the message.

 _From: Sasaki Rika_

 _To: Kinomoto Sakura_

 _-Don't worry babe, I hope everything is alright. Yeah…I feel like shit, could you come over to my place? I need to speak with someone before going to work…_

Sakura smiled as she accepted Rika's invitation to her place before going to work. Maybe she needed a friend to speak to since she was infatuated with one of her clients.

Yukito had always said, " _Never fall in love with the clients, you only give them your body, not your soul or your love._ "

And it seemed like Rika had broken that rule since her heart fluttered every time Mr. Terada came to the Red Lotus for her.

Sakura was lucky enough to not have fallen for any of her clients. And she was sure she never would.

* * *

Mei-Ling sighed as she put her elbows on the desk and placed a hand on her neck. She felt stressed and today she hadn't received a moment to properly breathe. She felt like trash and just wanted to get home, put on her pajamas, order some pizza, and watch a movie.

She already felt sick of the case in the past three days. The reporters had asked her so many questions and she felt like her head would explode from the madness.

 _I need a break,_ she thought as the door of her office opened.

Mei-Ling looked at the short-haired girl in front of her and smiled. "You should go home, Miss Tachibana. Your shift is over."

Tachibana gave her some documents and smiled. "It's my duty as secretary District Attorney Li, and you shouldn't worry about me, I'm fine."

Mei-Ling shook her head and rose from her chair and took the documents from her hands gently.

"Go home, Rei. I'm serious. Also, Detective Hiiragizawa is coming so I can handle these documents alone," Mei-Ling said as she put the documents on the desk and looked at Rei.

The woman gave her a half smile and nodded. "Thank you, Miss Li. See you tomorrow then!"

"See you tomorrow."

With that, Rei left the office and closed the door.

Mei-Ling came back to her seat and checked the documents that her secretary had given her. They were from Doctor Nishimura Minami, a coroner from the Setagaya's Police Department. Mei-Ling asked her if she could examine the dead bodies of the Monstrum's oldest victims.

Luckily, some of their bodies were in cryostasis, so they had something to work with.

Mei-Ling looked through the files and saw the names of the victims in every file that Rei had given her. She read them fast and memorized them step by step. It seemed that the Monstrum used the same modus operandi on every victim that it had killed, except for an extra bruise or cut on every victim's body.

It was one file that caught her attention.

 **Victim: Daidouji Tomoyo.**

That name rang a bell in Mei-Ling's mind.

 _Wait...that's Eriol's fiancée!_

She took the document and opened it immediately, reading that her intestines were out of her stomach and that her body was left in the cold night. It also mentioned that she had bruises on her shoulder and on her neck. And even bites on her neck.

Maybe the Monstrum took advantage of Tomoyo's dead body post mortem.

Mei-Ling felt the nausea feeling rising in her stomach. "Sick bastard," she muttered under her breath as she continued to read.

Her eyes widened as she read the following sentences of the documents.

 _ **The victim was at least two months pregnant. The child died the moment her throat was sliced.**_

Mei-Ling put her hands in front of her mouth, shocked from what she read. She felt the tears burning her ruby eyes.

She bit her lips as she rose from her chair and looked out the window. Unable to maintain calm, she slammed her fist into the window, groaning from the rage and the desperation.

How could she tell Eriol these horrible things? She was one hundred percent sure that Eriol was the father of Tomoyo's child.

Mei-Ling felt the nausea rising again, but she couldn't handle it anymore. She took the trashcan beside her desk and began to throw up from the disgust.

Mei-Ling fell to her knees as she continued to release the liquid from her mouth. She didn't even hear the door opening.

Eriol looked at her in shock as he saw Mei-Ling throwing up in the trash can. He kneeled beside her and took her hair into his fist and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you ok?" he asked once Mei-Ling finished throwing up.

She shook her head and reached in her pocket and took a tissue and cleaned her mouth roughly.

"No, I've read some documents from Doctor Nishimura. I couldn't resist any more at the disgust I read. Remind me to clean that up tomorrow."

Eriol nodded as he helped Mei-Ling stand from the floor. He put both of his hands on her shoulders. "What did you find?" he asked bluntly, but Mei-Ling didn't answer him. She could feel her stomach going upside down from the revelations that she had read moments ago.

"You're not going to like it."

"If it has something that could help us find that sick bastard, you have to tell me Mei-Ling."

She sighed and walked away from him, looking out the window.

Mei-Ling crossed her arms against her chest and closed her eyes, trying to figure out if she should tell him. But, in the end, she decided to tell him.

First, she had to tell him what could hurt less, then she could tell him that Tomoyo was two months pregnant.

"It seems that the Monstrum takes advantage of his female victims post mortem. Nothing that could help us, really. Minami has found traces of sperm on Nakamura Yuriko, Izumi Megumi and Sakamoto Emi's bodies."

Eriol shut his eyes and looked away from Mei-Ling for a moment. He hoped deep down inside that the murderer had not taken advantage of Tomoyo post mortem, that would make him really upset.

"Disgusting, that murderer is sick to the bone."

Mei-Ling nodded and turned to him, arms still crossed against her chest.

"There's something about Tomoyo…and you're not going to like it."

At the mention of Tomoyo's name, Eriol looked at her and bit his lower lip. He felt the blood coming out of it from the pressure of his teeth against his skin.

"Please, tell me that Doctor Nishimura didn't find sperm in her body."

Mei-Ling shook her head and Eriol felt relief for a moment. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she opened them, freeing her arms.

"Tomoyo wasn't the only one that was killed that night."

Eriol raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"She was two months pregnant."


	5. Flow of Memories

_Hello Everyone! Maybe Chapter 4 had broken your hearts a little? but after all this is a dramatic story besides being a crime one xD_

 _But I'm glad that you're enjoying it so far, but there's more to come._

 _Oh! I've made a 'Soundtrack' for Red Light District, let me know if you're interested, even if the majority of the songs are rock\metal music and I don't know if it's your cup of tea xD_

 _But enough of that and let's get started ;)_

 _Thank you to animechick132 for beta reading as always :3 If you haven't done it yet, go and read her stories, they are awesome ^^ That's all I can do for being so kind with me on beta reading my English, thanks 3_

 _Now let's go!_

* * *

 **Chapter 5:**

 **Flow of Memories**

Eriol was motionless after hearing Mei-Ling's announcement. If his fiancée had gotten pregnant, he was one hundred percent sure that she would have told him. It had to be some kind of sick and twisted joke.

"You…" he began, after remaining silent for a while.

Mei-Ling didn't move from her position and continued to stare at him. To some extent, she knew deep down inside that Eriol was trying to deny the news she had just given him.

On the files, Nishimura, Tomoyo's doctor, had informed them that Tomoyo was pregnant when murdered. So, Mei-Ling was sure that it wasn't a lie since the coroners always found any kind of information on the victims' bodies.

"You're lying!" Eriol shouted. He grabbed Mei-Ling's shoulders, holding her tightly, his control completely lost. "Do you think this is a game or some sort? Do you know how it feels to lose someone who you intended to marry?!"

Mei-Ling could feel her heart breaking into pieces. She had told him that she lost Jinbao, though she had never shared her pain with anyone besides Syaoran, but now he was disregarding her feelings?

She grabbed his wrists to move them from her shoulders. "Of course, I know! And I'm not playing games! I take my job serious, Jinbao!" Mei-Ling covered her mouth as her eyes widened in shock.

Eriol stared at her and took two steps back. Mei-Ling couldn't help but feel lost as her lips began to tremble. She hadn't said her boyfriend's name for a long time and now she called her partner his name. No one ever made her feel such strong emotions, aside from Jinbao, and now, Eriol was making her feel them again.

Mei-Ling's legs began to tremble before she turned her back to him and walked to her desk, grabbing Tomoyo's file. She turned to him again, this time, with the file in hand.

"Read this if you don't believe me, Hiiragizawa. You can read it before you go to bed or after a shower; I don't care how you do it, just do it," she said in an uncaring tone, almost broken from the threatening tears that were about to fall from her eyes.

Eriol took the file from Mei-Ling, staring at her angered face. His insides churned, seeing her ruby eyes filled with tears.

"Mei-Ling, I – "

Before he could continue, she turned her back to him again and crossed her arms against her chest. She didn't have the strength to face the man that she had called her former boyfriend's name.

"Go away," she told him, in a firm tone. A tear finally rolled down her cheek, making her feel too vulnerable to be tough as she always is.

Eriol walked towards the door and looked at her, feeling guilty for his behavior. His anger had gotten out of control, knowing that Tomoyo was murdered. Knowing that she was two months pregnant, didn't help one bit either. He had forgotten that Mei-Ling had lost someone who had been murdered too, so he was reckless.

His mind was numb from the fresh news that he just received right now, but he still cared about Mei-Ling. She was one of his friends, just like Syaoran. Perhaps he should have been angry with himself for not knowing. It must have been a burden on Mei-Ling to tell him that kind of news since Tomoyo was his fiancée.

"Look, I'm so –"

"I said go away!" she exclaimed, still avoiding to look in his direction.

Eriol sighed and left her office. He leaned against the door and closed his eyes, sighing. He felt guilty for what he said to Mei-Ling. He was sorry and heartbroken, knowing that she lost someone too, to a murder.

He still had Tomoyo's file in hand, not feeling the courage to let it go or open it. If Mei-Ling had been telling the truth, he promised himself that the Monstrum would be put behind bars and that it had a life imprisonment as the sentence.

He would avenge Tomoyo and his unborn child's death if all of this was true. But still, his heart was already breaking into a million of pieces, thinking of the news actually being true.

Eriol cared about Mei-Ling, so he found no reason to feel angry about her trying to do her job. They were good friends and always helped each other with every case in the past years, but now, they were working closer together.

He could not help but feel like they were growing a deeper bond, more on his affection towards her. He assumed that it happened when Mei-Ling had told him about Jinbao, but he couldn't be too sure.

The only thing that he knew was that he wanted to keep Mei-Ling safe inside a glass ball. It was not like he had fallen in love with her, but he has grown an affection for her during these hard days of the case.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered before walking out of the district attorney's office.

Unfortunately for him, Mei-Ling heard him and felt her heart tightening in her chest. She fell to her knees, facing her desk.

More tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably. She cried desperately, as she remembered that awful night that still haunted her and her dreams. Calling Eriol Jinbao's name hadn't helped either.

She clenched her fists together and slammed them against the floor as she screamed in guilt and shame.

 _I hate this case, I_ _ **hate**_ _this case!_ she repeated in her head, as the tears continued to fall.

Her heart trembled as her tears continued to slide down her checks and wet the floor. Mei-Ling wanted to rip her heart out after saying those things to Eriol. A sense of shame even rose inside her stomach.

Eriol was one of her closest friends and also the best friend of her cousin. She had promised herself to never fall in love after Jinbao's death, but sometimes promises like these are futile.

She could admit that she was starting to develop a crush on Eriol, though she tried to deny it by saying that she still loved Jinbao. It had been years since he was murdered in Hong Kong, but overtime, she had moved on with her love life, because she had to.

Mei-Ling turned around and rest her back against the desk, feeling exhausted. She placed her hands on her head, and clenched them into fists, almost ripping out her hair as she continued to cry unceasingly.

She knew that she couldn't hide her emotions forever. Even though she showed people that she was strong, sultry, and confident, the truth is that she was dying inside.

Mei-Ling had been suffering from depression since Jinbao died. She hadn't told anyone, which meant that she refused to take antidepressants to soothe her pain.

"I'm sorry, Eriol…I'm so sorry," she said in between sobs, as she rose from the floor. She grabbed her jacket and purse, just wanting to go home and cry herself to sleep.

Maybe it would be a better method to drown herself in shame and guilt after calling Eriol her deceased boyfriend's name.

 _Life just isn't fair,_ she thought as she turned off the lights of her office before closing the door.

Mei-Ling couldn't wait to get home. She didn't want anyone else seeing her like this.

* * *

 _From: Kinomoto Sakura_

 _To: Detective Li Syaoran_

 _-I've met the Shinomoto bitch. I told her what you told me earlier in the last message that you sent. It seems that she knew my family name after all._

Sakura quickly typed the message as she walked towards Rika's apartment, her headphones still in her ears. The loud volume covered the whispers of people who saw her and commented on her appearance and attitude.

She was dressed in simple jeans with black heels and a black sleeveless shirt to visit her parents in Tomoeda.

Unfortunately, Sakura could see the look in the people's eyes as they saw her, and she couldn't hide her eyes with sunglasses since the sun was no longer up.

 _Let it burn_ by Citizen Soldier was covering the whispers of people who gossiped about her.

Sakura never cared about what people were thinking of her. She knew that she was a whore in the Red Light District. People thought that the women who worked there were nothing but cancerous.

Suddenly, she remembered something. Most people who worked with her at the Red Lotus were broken women, like Naoko, who was an orphan and, even Yuriko.

Yuriko began to work at the Red Lotus because she desperately needed money, just to feed her daughter and let her go to school. She worked on her ex-husband's restaurant as a hall director. But after the divorce, she lost her job and Yuriko was desperate to find a job, so she had no other choice but to work at the Red Lotus.

At first, she worked as a waitress, but she grew tired of the clients that touched her without a reason.

Life just wasn't fair.

* * *

 _20th November 2015 10:30 PM_

" _If you don't want to get touched by the clients, you have to get on the stage and strip for the clients. You don't have more options, Nakamura_ ," _Yukito said with his arms crossed against his chest as he looked at Yuriko with a hard look on his face._

 _Yuriko Nakamura bit her lip nervously, dark eyes glistening with tears._

 _Sakura leaned against the wall, listening to the conversation between the two of them. The urge to go to Yukito and stand up for her friend was strong, because she knew how Yuriko was strong-willed. The woman had an iron tongue, but she was still a mother, so she wanted to do anything to feed her daughter._

 _Sakura placed her hand on her chest, feeling her heart beat faster. She could feel the anxiety rising for Yuriko._

 _She waited for Yuriko to answer, a look of concern still evident on Sakura's face. She could see Yuriko unable to respond as she stood motionless._

 _Yuriko just stared at Yukito with a hard look on her face for, what seemed to be hours, remaining quiet._

" _You and Yue are just two disgusting pigs. I wonder how you spend your money after the shows," Yuriko finally spat._

 _Yukito's eyes widened, shocked by her answer. He clenched his fists nervously._

 _Sakura brought a hand to her mouth, also shocked by Yuriko's response._

" _That is none of your business, Nakamura. You have two options. Either you strip and dance for the clients, or you're fired," he said in a cold and uncaring tone._

' _You're so insensible, Yukito, just like that pig of a brother of yours,' Sakura thought._

 _Sakura's mind automatically remembered how Yukito and Yue had similar personalities. Physically, they weren't the same, though._

 _Yue was far more handsome than Yukito and had edgier features and an athletic body. Yukito, on the other hand, had softer features and a curvy body. They were two different coins, yet they had the same face._

 _Both were insensible and cared about the money only. They didn't care if the strippers were sick or if the waitresses couldn't come to the club for personal reasons. The twins didn't care one bit, even though the strippers, bar owners and waitresses, needed money._

 _Sakura knew that all too well, since she had a contract with them. The contract was almost unbreakable, though the twins never went by it on their parts._

 _The frequent times that Yue came to her apartment to take advantage of her was never included on the contract._

 _Her clients were madly rough with her, but not like Yue._

 _At those words, Yuriko raised her fist and punched Yukito on in the face._

 _He closed his eyes tightly and brought a hand to his nose, covering it as the blood began to trickle down from his nostrils. He looked at his fingers and saw the blood._

 _Yukito looked at her again and rose his hand towards her face, but Yuriko looked at him as if she were waiting for a challenge._

" _C'mon, slap me, you son of a bitch. You can beat me if you want and then we'll see who is going to jail between the two of us."_

 _Yukito wrapped his hand around her neck and pressed it against her skin. She could feel his nails penetrating her skin._

 _Sakura remained motionless to the scene in front of her, emerald eyes watching her friend being strangled by her boss._

" _Enough!" her voice echoed in the locker room. She walked towards the two., determined to put a stop to this._

 _Yukito looked at Sakura with fire in his eyes before he removed his hand from Yuriko's neck._

" _What are you doing here, Sakura? You should be on stage performing, stupid whore!"_

 _Sakura shook her head with an amused smile on her face._

" _Naoko and Rika are on stage and they do better without me." Sakura looked at Yuriko._

 _Yuriko blinked once, then twice, confused about the auburn-haired girl being there and mouthed a 'what are you doing?' to her._

 _Sakura just winked at her and turned back to Yukito. "If you lay a single harmful hand on her, the police are going to be on to you, and I'm sure you don't want that…right?" Sakura raised a brow at the metaphorical question, smile still on her face as she pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear._

 _Yukito stared at her with a hard look in his eyes, gritting his teeth, while his hands clenched into fists. He could feel his nails penetrating his skin, as the blood began to slide down to his lips._

 _He licked the blood off and walked towards Sakura. Before she could even think, he landed a hard slap against her cheek. "At least I can beat you, bitch. Who would believe a prostitute gets abused?"_

 _Sakura didn't answer, but she gave a reassuring look to Yuriko._

 _The elder woman sighed in relief, but Sakura knew that she was suffering from anxiety. She could see it from Yuriko's chest, since she was breathing faster than normal._

 _Sakura closed her eyes and looked at the ground, with no shame on her face. "No one. I know that, Yukito."_

 _Yukito landed another slap on her left cheek. "That was for spying, and the other one was for the one I wanted to give Nakamura…" he said in a husky voice._

 _He enjoyed giving pain to the strippers when they didn't do exactly as he ordered, or if the performance didn't go as it was planned. Sakura thought that it was some kind of sexual perversion._

 _This was another thing that the Tsukishiro twins had in common, but in different ways. Yue loved to give pain in a sexual way, especially to Sakura, considering he was her frequent rapist. But, Yukito just loved to hit the girls if they didn't obey orders._

 _Sakura looked at him and brought a hand to her cheek, massaging it gently. "It won't happen again," her tone was unkind, but there was some honesty to her words._

 _Yukito nodded and turned to Yuriko with the same hard look on his face. "Get changed, Yuriko. You'll be on stage with Sakura after Naoko and Rika."_

 _With that being said, he left the locker room, mumbling 'bitch' a few times._

 _Sakura sighed and took two steps back and leaned against the wall. She slid down to the floor and brought her knees to her chest. Her fingers caressed her skin soothingly._

 _Yuriko looked at her as she closed her lips together tightly and walked towards Sakura._

" _Are you alright?" she asked, with her motherly tone of voice._

 _Sakura looked at her and gave her a brief smile. "I'm used to it, Yuriko. Don't be concerned about me. I'm used to the pain that both the Tsukishiro twins give me," she said._

 _Sakura covered her mouth, realizing what she just said._

 _Instead of commenting or questioning Sakura, Yuriko kneeled to the ground placed a hand on her auburn hair, caressing it in a motherly way._

" _If it is something that you want to keep for yourself, don't worry little lotus blossom. I will not force you to speak."_

 _Sakura gave her a nervous laugh and looked at Yuriko with a raised brow._

" _You know that my name means 'cherry blossom' and not 'lotus blossom,' right?" Sakura's voice was sarcastic to the little joke that she made. It was just to break the intense moment that was there when Yukito had slapped her._

 _Yuriko nodded and gave her a kind smile, while continuing to caress her hair. "I know, but this club is called The Red Lotus, and you're their golden lotus after all. Someday, you'll be able to fight the twins and be free, like a cherry blossom. But for now, you're their golden lotus…"_

* * *

"Their Golden Lotus…" she whispered as she removed her earphones from her ears.

She sighed at the memory of Yuriko.

Just two months after Christmas, Yuriko was found dead next to another strip club, owned by a member of the mafia, as far as Sakura knew. Her body was found naked and her clothes were torn completely. But Yuriko's death didn't afflict her as Tomoyo's had.

Sometimes, Sakura wished that the events of that night didn't happen or that the death of her best friend happened to her. Maybe things would have turned out better. She wouldn't have been involved in the case by helping Syaoran Li. Tomoyo would have been married to Eriol and their child would have been born.

Tomoyo was innocent. She was just about to launch her fashion line in London and possibly become worldwide. She wasn't a sinner like Sakura. She wasn't a prostitute, so why did she have to die that night?

Maybe the Monstrum wanted to be known by the police by killing the daughter of Daidouji Yuri and Sonomi. Maybe it wanted people to know that it was in the city, ready to kill anyone who crossed it's path.

Sakura didn't know the answer, and yet, she hoped to never know it.

She rang the interphone of Rika's apartment, waiting for her to answer.

"Yes?" Rika's gentle voice sounded metallic and without life on the interphone, but Sakura still smiled.

"It's Sakura. Can you open the door?"

She heard a buzz after she answered before hearing a beeping sound, which meant she could come in. Rika lived on the first floor of the building, so she decided to use the stairs instead of the elevator.

Sakura saw Rika leaning against the door, dressed in a black dress, without any shoes on her feet. She pursued her lips into a forced smile. "Hi, Golden Lotus," she teased Sakura.

Sakura shook her head and couldn't help but smile at the nickname that her colleagues gave her.

The first to call her that was Naoko, and then all of the strippers went along with it, giving her the title, 'The Golden Lotus' since she was the one that brought clients of every race and age to the strip club. They all wanted to see the 'good girl gone bad' on stage, stripping for them.

"Can I enter before I become of bronze?"

Rika laughed at her joke and let her into the apartment. As Sakura walked in, her phone vibrated.

Without hesitation, she took it out, looking at the screen. Syaoran had sent her a message.

 _From: Detective Li Syaoran_

 _To: Kinomoto Sakura_

 _-Shit, how could she know your family name if the Chief hasn't told her anything about you? He's been trying to keep you safe? I bet my badge that she's with the Monstrum somehow._

Sakura nodded, though he couldn't see her. She bit her upper lip nervously, suddenly having a bad feeling about the journalist.

It was also just as Syaoran suspected; she was a collaborator of the Monstrum, along with Yue.

 _From: Kinomoto Sakura_

 _To: Detective Li Syaoran_

 _-You better come up with a brilliant idea to protect me, Detective Li, or else that bitch will surely ruin my life. I can't let mother find out about any of this or she might die from a heart attack._

After she sent the message, she put her phone back in her pocket before giving Rika's apartment a brief look.

She could smell alcohol and the intoxicating smell of marijuana in the room; not the usual lilac scent that Rika always used in her home. Sakura could only come to one conclusion; Rika was devastated about the death of Mr. Terada.

Was he so important to her to the point to be in love and get herself wasted with alcohol and drugs? The only other time she was like this, was when she miscarried after the bank robbery.

Sakura felt lucky, not having the ability to fall in love with clients, since she didn't have that type of bond with them. Her clients never pitied her or felt any kind of romantic emotions for her. They just wanted to fuck 'the golden lotus.'

Rika walked towards Sakura with two bottles of beer in her hands, already opened.

Sakura smiled at her and took one of the bottles from her hand. "What did you do, Rika? Are you sure that you are okay?" asked Sakura, as she drank a bit of her beer and walked towards the sofa to sit down.

Rika stared at the floor for a moment before she approached Sakura with her arms crossed against her chest, the bottle of beer still in her hand.

"You know what Yukito always says to us?"

Sakura looked at her with a raised brow and pressed her lips together nervously, then nodded.

"Never fall in love with a client. You only give them your body, not your soul or your love. "

Sakura had a disgusted look on her face at the words that Rika had just said. Yukito had always disgusted her with his morals and Yue just disgusted her with his sexual fantasies about her.

"I wonder why we can't just throw him into gasoline and let him burn," Sakura said, and then gulped down a bit of her beer nervously.

Talking and thinking this sickened her, but she made an exception to say things like this about the twins.

"Who does he think he is? The Messiah? We cannot control our emotions. Not now, not ever," Sakura said.

Rika nodded, knowing that Sakura hated both Yue and Yukito for different reasons, but she didn't want to hear the reasons, because she knew everything about Sakura's past. She had to deal with her own problems and past that haunted her. Her teenage pregnancy, her miscarriage, the death of her lover during that bank robbery.

Rika approached the sofa and sat beside Sakura, the bottle of beer still full in her hands.

"Yukito is a psychopath, Sakura. How can we pretend to control our emotions like that?"

Sakura looked at her and pressed her teeth against her lower lip, tasting her own flesh.

Rika put the bottle of beer on the floor and put her fingers on her temples, massaging them as if it was like a nervous action to relax herself. She sighed as she continued to massage her temples. "You're wondering why there's this strong scent of alcohol and marijuana, right?" Rika asked, almost out of the blue.

Sakura remained silent before she nodded, since Rika never made use of drugs or the alcohol.

Rika rose from the sofa and headed towards the bathroom. Sakura watched her with a concerned look in her eyes. She thought of all the possibilities of why Rika had been doing such reckless things, just to ruin a life. Maybe she witnessed Mr. Terada's death like she witnessed Tomoyo's?

She didn't have an answer at the moment, but she hoped that Rika would give her the answer.

Sakura could already feel the anxiety growing in her stomach at the thought.

"Please, don't let it be what I think…" Sakura said to herself quietly.

In the meanwhile, Rika came back from the bathroom and had a tiny object in her hand. She sat next to Sakura again, then she gave her the object.

Sakura looked at it before realizing what it was; a pregnancy test that had two lines on it. It was positive.

Suddenly, the memories of Tomoyo came crashing down on her, making her heart and head ache. She felt the tears burning her emerald eyes. She gritted her teeth as her heart skipped a bit.

 _Not again…_

Rika didn't look at Sakura because she was too busy looking at the pregnancy test. She closed her eyes and had a sense guilt inside her heart.

This wasn't a good time, especially when a murderer was looking for prostitutes to kill and also other innocent people who were sinners just because they went to the Red Light District.

"I'm pregnant and…it's Yoshiyuki's child," she said after a while.

Sakura looked at her, her eyes having tears flow down her cheeks. "It happened the night before he got killed…" Rika said, almost whispering.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. She dried her eyes with the palm of her hand immediately a hearing this.

 _Mr. Terada's death is the most recent one. I have to tell Detective Li immediately._

"So, you wanted to have a miscarriage? That's why you've been smoking and drinking excessively?"

Rika nodded, covering her face with the palm of her hands. She just wanted to be taken away from all of this.

"You know, I was convinced that I couldn't have children anymore after that miscarriage years ago, during the bank robbery. I convinced myself that I was sterile."

Sakura looked at her with an interested look.

"Don't get me wrong, Sakura. I've always used the condom with the other clients and also with Yoshiyuki, to prevent venereal illness, you know." Rika sighed as she grabbed a hold of her wrists nervously, her lips trembling from the nervousness. "After we made love, he asked me to marry him and I said yes immediately. I could have lived a better life. No more stripping, no more Red Lotus…and no more unconventional sex."

Sakura remained silent, because she wanted to live a life like that, after years of working at the Red Lotus. She loved stripping for her clients and she didn't mind being seen as a sexual object by men just to satisfy their sexual fantasies. Especially when they were married men and their wives didn't give the same pleasure as Sakura does to them. But sometimes, she grew tired of this life and wanted to live a normal life, especially after the encounter with her parents this afternoon. She wanted a normal job and a normal life. But felt trapped inside a gilded cage.

"I loved him Sakura, and now that I carry his child inside of me…I don't know what to do. I've called Yukito to say that I won't be able to go to the club for a while because I'm pregnant. He fired me without thinking twice about it…"

More pieces of the puzzle were coming together now. What if Yukito is the Monstrum of Tokyo? It could have made sense since Yue is his twin brother. As brothers, they had done everything together, even sell drugs and open the strip club. And with the money that they earned, they corrupted the JNN's News Journalist, Shinomoto Akiho, and promised her a promotion as the anchorwoman for the news.

But Sakura could perfectly remember those dark and penetrating eyes during Tomoyo's murder. He had a scar on his cheek. Yukito had the same eyes as Yue, but darker and he doesn't have any scars on his face. Also, the Monstrum's voice was far deeper and huskier than Yukito.

But nothing stopped her to that possibility. She reminded herself to call Syaoran and tell him that Rika was a witness and to also add Yukito on the suspects list.

Sakura placed her hand on Rika's shoulder in a gentle manner. "At least you're free from the cage that the bastards have kept us inside…"

She looked at the ground for a moment and the memories of Tomoyo came flashing before her eyes.

Tears filled her eyes as she began to see her corpse on the asphalt, with her clothes torn and the blood trickling down throat.

The unforgiving memory was almost tattooed in her mind.

Rika noticed the tears falling from Sakura's eyes and brought her index finger to her cheek. "I'm not dying, I'm just preg–" she stopped before she could continue.

Sakura had told her about Tomoyo and that she was pregnant with her future god-child.

"Oh…" she whispered, biting her lower lip nervously.

"I can still see her dead body, Rika. Those pictures haunt me like a ghost would…" Sakura's voice sounded broken as the tears continued to flow from her eyes.

Rika shook her head and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Look, I'm not going to die because of that murderer. I'm not a prostitute anymore and that Monster or Monstrum, whatever his name is, will not take my life…or my child's."

Sakura could see a spark in Rika's eyes. First, she seemed determined to miscarriage by using the alcohol and drugs, but now, she could see another Rika; a stronger one with the strength of a future mother that is already ready to protect her child.

Sakura dried her tears with the palm of her hand and cleared her throat. "I like this determination, babe. I'm sure you're going to be a great mother," she said honestly, meaning them from the bottom of her heart.

Rika felt touched and smiled, almost immediately, before hugging her friend.

Sakura tightened her arms around her, hoping to give her more strength.

After a while, she pulled away, a bitter smile on her face. "I have a favor to ask you."

* * *

Eriol pressed the interphone of Syaoran's home. After the disaster that happened in Mei-Ling's office, he needed someone to talk to.

It was nine at night and he was still shocked by the news of Tomoyo's pregnancy and her idea to keep it from him. He had read the file that Doctor Nishimura had given Mei-Ling after her outburst and her unexplainable behavior. He couldn't help but think that maybe he shouldn't have been so rude.

She was a good friend and now, his partner in crime. He needed to do something _really_ big to apologize to Mei-Ling. He knew that saying sorry wouldn't be enough, since she had also lost someone important to her in a similar way.

Syaoran opened the door and looked at Eriol with a raised eyebrow. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and pajamas pants with a towel on his wet chocolate hair. "Why so impatient? I was in the shower."

Eriol smiled in amusement at his friend. "Nice pajamas, Syaoran," he teased, like always.

Syaoran rolled his eyes and then gave a quick look at his pants. They were dark green with a wolf silhouette on the end of it. He groaned in annoyance before he saw the documents that Eriol had in his hands.

"Come in," he said, taking two steps back as he continued to towel dry his hair.

The two headed to the kitchen. Eriol sat on a chair, while Syaoran opened the fridge and took two bottles of beer out.

"I can see that you have some documents. Are they about the case?" Syaoran asked as he put the beers on the counter and put the towel on his shoulders.

Eriol nodded and opened Tomoyo's file without hesitation. He had read through them multiple times as if he would be tested on it. "Yes, Mei-Ling asked Doctor Nishimura to exanimate some victim's bodies."

Syaoran nodded as he opened the two bottles of beer, then he took them and gave a bottle to Eriol and sat next to him.

"Very smart move by my cousin. Sometimes it's hard to believe that, that head of hers in smart," Syaoran said as he crossed his legs and drank a bit of the beer.

Eriol shook his head, a Cheshire cat smile on his face "Yeah, I've never thought that she could be _that_ smart. Don't get me wrong, she isn't a dumb person, but she has had her moments in the past. She's intelligent, confident, and strong-willed, even though her heart is so fragile…"

Syaoran raised a brow and looked at Eriol with a questioned look.

Eriol knew that Syaoran cared about Mei-Ling a lot, as if she were his younger sister, rather than a cousin.

" _Blood ties never lies,"_ as his mother always put it.

Family is sacred inside the Li Family. Bringing shame to it means dishonoring the entire family.

Perhaps Fanren knew it better than anyone else since she had already brought dishonor to the family by being involved in the illegal world of drugs. However, she brought honor to the family again by taking the lead of Li's Corporation after years of rehab.

"Mei-Ling told you about Jinbao, didn't she?" Syaoran asked.

Eriol's eyes shifted from the file to look at Syaoran before nodding his head.

Syaoran sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "She never recovered from his death. He even planned to propose to her before all of that happened, but it seems that life isn't easy to plan. It gets in the way every time you plan to do something beautiful…"

Syaoran closed his eyes for a while and then removed his hand from his head. "I still remember that night, you know? I was there. That bastard was going to kill Mei-Ling, but Jinbao, being the selfless man that he was, stood in between and took the bullet for her."

Eriol didn't say anything, just listening to Syaoran talk. Jinbao had saved Mei-Ling's life yet she felt responsible for his death. he could tell that the guilt still ate at her heart every day.

Eriol took the bottle and drank the cold beer. It felt refreshing, as if he was washing away everything, from Tomoyo's body examination, finding out that she was two months pregnant, to the fight with Mei-Ling.

"I care about her, you know?" Eriol said almost absentminded.

Syaoran looked at him with a surprised look on his face, then his expression softened as he smirked. "You two always tease each other, after all…" His smirk widened, "…We _always_ tease her when she wants to show who is the boss between the three of us."

The two laughed their heart out after the joke that Syaoran made.

Eriol shook his head with a smile on his face. "You lightened up my mood tonight, man. I felt like shit before coming here."

Syaoran was about to open his mouth to ask a question to him, but suddenly his phone rang, making him forget the question that he was about to ask.

Eriol indicated with his head towards Syaoran's phone, a comprehensive look in his eyes. "Answer the phone. Maybe it's the department…"

Syaoran nodded and stood from the chair, walking towards the sound of his phone.

"…Or maybe it's the gorgeous sister of the chief," Eriol teased with a smirk on his face.

Syaoran ignored him and closed his eyes with a light blush on his cheeks.

His phone was on the coffee table of the living room.

He grabbed it and immediately answered the call, only hoping it was her a little. "Detective Li Syaoran speaking"

" _Finally, you answer, detective. I've tried to call you thousands of times._ "

Syaoran recognized Sakura's voice immediately. From the background music, he knew that she was in the locker room inside The Red Lotus, ready for another night of work.

"Sorry, I was in the shower when you called," he said, placing a nervous, fidgeting hand on his head.

" _Well…maybe next time you'll want some company. I'm really curious to see the wonders of your hands and mouth on my body._ "

Syaoran held back a groan, feeling his manhood harden in his pants at the thought of him and Sakura inside the shower.

Even after that escapade, he still craved more of her body. He wanted to explore her with his hands and mouth, tasting her like a chocolate cake. He just wanted to explore her body, no matter what he would have to do. He wanted to feel how wet she would be around his manhood as he drove into her over and over.

Sakura laughed on the other side of the phone and he could hear air being blown. Syaoran presumed that she was smoking a cigarette.

"It was only an escapade."

He tried to remain calm, but he had million of thoughts of finally having her.

" _Admit it, you enjoyed it._ "

Syaoran closed his eyes, trying to deny that he didn't enjoy that escapade, when in fact, he did enjoy when he touched her skin. He loved the feel of her mouth around him.

He sighed, admitting the defeat against the stubborn sister of Chief Kinomoto "You win, I _enjoyed_ it," Syaoran said in a husky tone, almost in a whisper.

He couldn't see her expression, but he bet that she had a smirk on the corner of her lips.

" _Anyway, bullshit aside, I have news that may benefit us and the case._ "

Syaoran was confused at that statement. "What do you mean?" he asked, without a second of hesitation.

" _Do you remember Rika? My colleague…Well...Ex colleague. She got fired by Yukito because she's pregnant._ "

Syaoran was still confused by her words, so her friend got fired because she has a new life inside of her, so what's the deal.

"Get to the point, Kinomoto-san."

Even though he was still confused, he grew curious on what she has to say to him.

" _Rika's carrying Mr. Terada's child. I think that she is a witness of his murder._ "

Syaoran felt the excitement growing in his stomach. Finally, Sakura had found a recent witness and not one of the old victims.

 _Perfect, I knew you had the qualities to be a detective, baby._

Syaoran knew that Sakura would have been an excellent detective. If she didn't work at The Red Lotus, of course.

Not only because he felt a strong sexual attraction towards her, the tension was strong and Syaoran was ready to fight that sexual tension that it's in between he and Sakura.

"Come down to the department tomorrow morning with her and I'll let your brother ask her the questions. Good job, Kinomoto-san." A smile curved on his lips, proud of what she has done.

" _Thank you. Also, tomorrow, I'll tell you another detail, but I prefer we be alone for it._ "

Syaoran's eyes widened at her sudden request, but he remained silent for a while, thinking why she asked to be alone with him tomorrow morning.

He already suspected that Tsukishiro Yue was more than a collaborator of the Monstrum of Tokyo. It was almost like a sixth sense.

"As you wish."

He heard Sakura sigh in relief, like she removed a burden from her diaphragm and finally let it out after a while, maybe it's a secret that shared with a few people.

Had Sakura already been trusting him blindly?

" _Also, after the interrogatory, book Rika a one way ticket to Seoul. I don't want to lose another friend of mine thanks of that monster. He has already ruined my life by killing Tomoyo._ "

Syaoran raised an eyebrow at her sudden request, not expecting Sakura to be so overprotective of her friend. He concluded that maybe it's because she's pregnant and didn't want Rika to take any risks.

"I can do that immediately. Don't worry about it."

Again, Syaoran couldn't see her expression, but she had a look of relief on her face for sure. He was about to end the call, but Sakura stopped him, saying that she had one more thing to say.

" _You know, I kind of like the sexual tension that's between us,"_ she said, sounding honest about her confession, but it sounded malicious, in a teasing tone.

Syaoran hated to admit, but he loved it.

 _I'll show you who is the boss between the two of us, Lady Marmalade._

Syaoran's lips formed a smirk and he sighed as if it were a guilty pleasure of his.

"I kind of like it too, Lady Marmalade," he said in a husky tone, almost sounding a bit teasing too.

But Syaoran couldn't deny the sexual tension that he has with Sakura.


	6. No Saints, No Sinners

_Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter like I did, It was a lot of fun writing it, especially writing about the sexual tension that both Syaoran and Sakura have in this story xD_

 _Also in this chapter there's a mention to Italian Literature, which I love it so much since (if you don't know xD) I'm Italian xD_

 _More to come, I promise you ;) Now let's get it started :3_

 _Thank you animechick132 for beta-reading :3_

 _Let's start now :D_

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **No Saints, No Sinners**

* * *

Sakura and Rika stood in front of the building of Setagaya's Police Department. The golden lotus had informed Rika that she would need her to be involved in the interrogation, since she was the witness of Yoshiyuki Terada's murder. She is also pregnant, and Sakura had sworn to protect Rika and her child from the Monstrum. She didn't want a repeat of what happened with Tomoyo.

"This is Setagaya's Department, correct?" asked Rika, as she massaged her right wrist with her left palm.

Sakura nodded. "You'll talk with my brother and you'll tell everything that you saw after your night with Mr. Terada. In the meantime, I have to speak with a certain Detective."

Rika raised a brow and removed her palm from her wrist.

Sakura saw the look on her face and sighed, shaking her head. "No, we do not have a sexual relationship. It was only once that we had an escapade, but it was just to protect me from Yukito."

Rika smirked. "Mhm…"

As far as she was concerned, Sakura never had escapades with men outside of The Red Lotus, even if Sakura was gorgeous enough outside the strip club and any man wanted her in their bed.

Rika would never question them; Sakura was a stunning woman, with the look of an innocent girl, but when you looked into her emerald eyes, you could see the impure side of her. Even her movements around the pole woke the beast in all the men pants.

Maybe that detective had fallen through Sakura's abyss, Rika assumed.

Because of Sakura's past, her bad habits, her looks, and even her seductive attitude, Sakura had trapped people in her games.

Two men approached the women, dressed in their uniform. Sakura nodded towards the two detectives. "Let's go," she said and the two began to walk towards the men.

Syaoran crossed his arms against his chest when Sakura and her friend stopped in front of him and Eriol. He nodded towards her, acknowledging her presence.

Sakura winked at him and touched her bangs slowly with her fingers, in a seductive manner. "Good morning to you too, detective."

Eriol looked at Sakura and bit his lip nervously. After what happened last night, he felt guilty that he didn't know about Tomoyo's pregnancy and blamed Mei-Ling for lying. He felt the cold waters of pain and shame rising in his heart. Sakura looked at him through the corner of her eyes before she turned her gaze to him.

"Eriol, I'm sorry about Tomoyo. I should have told you that she was murdered. I thought that…well…"

The guilt could be sensed in her voice. Sakura wasn't in complete serene with herself after Tomoyo's death.

Eriol shook his head and tried to smile at her. He and Sakura knew each other since middle school. They had the same classes and the same friends. Eriol even knew her bad habits since she was Tomoyo's best friend. She had been the one to help him confess to Tomoyo.

Sakura never played matchmaker, but for Tomoyo, she would have done anything to see her happy, healthy, and safe unlike herself.

Sakura corrupted her body with drugs and sex at the beginning of high school and then it only became worst after that. Sakura had only talked to Tomoyo about everything.

"You don't have to worry about it, Sakura. I'm still trying to figure everything out about her death and I'm ready to do anything to bring justice."

Syaoran looked at Sakura, not saying a word. _She was Tomoyo's best friend, so of course Eriol and Sakura know each other,_ Syaoran thought _._

Sakura turned to Syaoran and placed a hand on Rika's shoulder. "Detective, she's Sasaki Rika, my ex colleague and the most recent witness that I know."

Sakura bit her lower lip, hesitating to ask if he had done her request that she asked him to do last night.

Syaoran read her expression and immediately knew what she was about to ask. He nodded before she could even decide to. "I did as you requested. After the Chief finishes the interrogation, Lieutenant Mihara will bring her to the airport."

Sakura felt relieved at hearing this from Syaoran. She looked at Rika and gave a bitter smile. "I'm counting on you, Rika. Tell Touya everything you remember. If it's hard talking to him because of his job, just pretend that you're talking to me."

Rika nodded and gave her a quick hug. Sakura hugged her back without hesitation and then broke the hug.

"I guess this is goodbye, Sakura…" Rika said with a broken tone.

Sakura shook her head, smiling. "When the Monstrum is captured, you'll be back here, and I promise you'll live a good life. Both you and your child. This is not a _goodbye_ , this is a _see you soon_."

Rika smiled again and turned to Eriol. "Can you accompany me to your chief, Detective?"

Eriol nodded and walked towards the entrance of the department, leaving Syaoran and Sakura alone.

Syaoran crossed his arms against his chest and watched her with a raised brow. "What do you want to talk about, Kinomoto-san?"

Sakura almost forgot that Syaoran was still here with her and looked at him. She placed a hand on his arm and looked at the ground, not having the courage to look him in the eyes. "The things that I'm going to say are not to be repeated to anyone. I'd feel more comfortable if we could speak in your office."

He didn't understand why Sakura refused to look him in the eyes. It seemed like she was hiding something from him. He was not sure it was something regarding the case, or something darker about her.

Syaoran couldn't blame her, from what Touya told him and Eriol about her. Since day one of the case, Sakura had been feeling the outcome of her sinful actions. She was feeling like a sinner, ready to burn in hell now, he was sure.

His mind drifted to the Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri. Once Sakura died, she would go to the second circle in _Inferno_ , which is Lust. Somewhere deep down, he knew she wanted to redeem and purify herself from her sins, so she could at least go into the _Purgatorio_ once she redeemed herself.

Syaoran was not a saint himself, but he was still a good man. Even if he had a few escapades in high school with girls, but he wasn't even _Paradiso's_ material, if he spoke from Alighieri's point of view.

Finally, Sakura looked him in the eyes and forced a relaxed look on her face, but on the inside, she was nervous.

Would he believe her when she told him that Yue had raped her before the Monstrum happened? Sakura didn't have a straight answer at the moment, but she knew on the inside that she could trust him fully.

Syaoran placed his thumb under her chin and caressed it unconsciously. "You can trust me with whatever you have to say. I promise I won't judge."

Sakura had no other choice but to look him in his amber eyes, getting lost in his gaze.

Her eyes shifted down to his lips briefly. She felt tempted to kiss his lips again, just to remember how they felt against hers.

She remembered the taste of cinnamon. The memory of his lips on hers haunted her mind like a voodoo spell was cast upon her. Sakura wanted those lips against hers again.

She looked him in the eyes again.

Syaoran bit his lip, feeling his heart tighten in his chest. He felt so conflicted with himself, because he wanted to bed Sakura like all the other men in this town, but he also wanted to protect her from anything or person who threatened her.

But, Syaoran knew that Sakura was a little stubborn and could protect herself. She didn't need a knight in shining armor. She needed someone to trust and Syaoran wanted to gain her trust completely.

Syaoran removed his thumb from her chin and motioned with his head towards the entrance. "Shall we go?" he asked calmly, hiding the arousal in his voice.

Sakura closed her eyes and nodded.

* * *

The pair entered Syaoran's office together. It was medium sized, but it looked bigger because of how tidy it was.

On the wall, there were some photos of him in his uniform with Eriol and the District Attorney. There were some newspaper articles that talked about his oldest cases too.

Some of the papers were in Cantonese, while others in Japanese. She wondered if Syaoran kept these hung up because he wanted to remember his old cases before he came to Japan.

Her eyes scanned the rest of the room. His desk was clean and tidy, with the paperwork on one side and the computer on the other side. There was a square object on his desk, piquing her interest.

Sakura looked at Syaoran who was opening the window before she turned back to the object on the desk.

It was a photo in black and white, with a tall, older woman behind four young ladies and a man. They were all dressed in a traditional Chinese outfit. They all looked happy, including a woman with a round stomach.

"I'm guessing this is your family?" Sakura asked.

Syaoran turned to face her once he opened the window, not uttering a word before he approached her with a small smile on his face.

"Ten points to you, Kinomoto-san. That's my family." He stood next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder and pointed his index finger to the tall, oldest woman in the photo.

"That's my mother, Yelan Li. And these other ladies are my older sisters." He pointed to one woman on the picture. "This is Shiefa," he said when his finger moved to the pregnant woman in the photo. "She was expecting my first niece in the photo; she takes care of the market analysis along with her husband at the Li Corporation."

Sakura had heard of the Li Corporation when she worked as a secretary at the Amamiya's Corporation. She knew that it was one of the most important business industries in Asia, along with her former job.

"Why didn't you continue working there? You were a billionaire and had women falling at your feet when you were in there, so you were living the life, right?" Sakura asked as she gave the photo to Syaoran.

He took it and placed it back on the desk, deciding not to answer that yet.

Back in Hong Kong, while working at Tsim Sha Tsui's Department, he was an attractive bachelor, so it was only natural for women to fall at his feet. But, the majority of them were stalkers and wanted to marry him for his money.

Syaoran couldn't forget a woman in particular; Zhang Pinmei, a crazy woman who worked in the same department as him and after every shift, she followed him and asked him uncomfortable questions. In the end, she just wanted money.

Thanks to Mei-Ling, he got rid of her and she was fired two months before Jinbao's death.

At the thought of the woman, unpleasant chills glided down his spine. "Yeah, but majority of these women just wanted my money. I'm glad that I moved here. There aren't many crazy bitches who have been after my heritage."

Sakura giggled and opened her purse to take a package of cigarettes out. She took one out and placed it between her lips, so she could light it. She inhaled, staring at him before exhaling the tobacco out of her mouth in a seductive way, a smirk on her lips. "No wonder these women were after you. You're very handsome, Detective. I can admit that my panties are on fire when I look into your mesmerizing amber eyes."

Hearing the mischievous tone in her voice, Syaoran could feel the desire in his body grow for her. He approached her, making her raise a brow once they were close.

Sakura was forced to take a step back and he took a step forward. She stopped when her back bumped against the door of his office. Syaoran placed a flat hand on the door, beside her head, trapping her.

Sakura could hear her own breathing increase as Syaoran looked at her with those penetrating eyes, the cigarette forgotten between her fingers.

"Are you even aware of this effect that you have on me?" he asked in a husky voice

Sakura pretended to act oblivious; she loved to tease him, because it was oddly attractive to see and hear him aroused. It always landed them in awkward predicaments.

Like now. Syaoran had her pressed against the doors of his office because of her teasing again.

 _Kiss me already._ It was the only thought that ran through her mind while they were like that.

No words spoken, no movements made. It was only when the smoke of Sakura's cigarette registered in Syaoran's nostrils, he made a move. He removed it from her fingers and threw it on the floor, rubbing it out with his shoe.

"You should quit smoking, Lady Marmalade. The scent of you mixed with tobacco and cherries is driving me insane. If I had no honor and if you weren't the chief's sister, I would have been dragged you to my home and had my way with you." His voice was husky.

Sakura felt her face going hot, embarrassed that he was being so bold and straightforward with her. She moved her hands to his chest and leaned up, so her lips could reach his earlobe, biting it gently. "You have this effect to me too, so you're not alone, sweetheart," she whispered in his ear.

His mind went blank at feeling her hot breath against his ear as he grabbed her shoulders gently, so he could press her into the door.

The sexual tension between them was beginning to become unbearable for Syaoran. It was quite obvious that they wanted each other in bed, but it was still a bit unnerving to Syaoran. He had never been this attracted to a woman before.

They were both afraid that this tension could go into something much deeper than that. Neither of them had a serious relationship, but they both had experiences of their own.

They weren't exactly the purest people alive, so Sakura still hesitated to trust anyone else, other than her brother.

But something told her that she could trust Syaoran. It was more of a gut-feeling.

Unable to maintain his cool, Syaoran leaned down and closed the gap between their lips, giving her a brief, passionate kiss. It was just to give her a taste of a pure kiss.

Sakura moved her hands behind his neck, pulling him closer. She didn't shy away from his touch as he caressed her back gently.

Syaoran had no idea why he even kissed her, but he felt compelled to, for some reason.

The two parted after a few seconds, breathless. Neither of them spoke a word, trying to calm their raging hearts. Sakura was dazed, having never experienced something so pure in her life.

Syaoran cleared his throat and moved towards his desk, sitting in his chair. With his hand, he motioned Sakura to take a seat in front of him, which she gladly did.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked, as if nothing happened.

Sakura placed a hand over her face to hide the light blush that appeared on her cheeks after the kiss or it was just a nervous reflex. She took a deep breath and then removed her hand from her face. "I think it's better that you take notes. You're not going to like what I have to say…"

Syaoran raised a brow, confused, but did as she asked. He took out a notepad and pencil from his desk, ready to write anything down she would say.

Sakura said everything that she didn't tell him when she came to Setagaya's Department days ago; she told him about Yue's frequent rapes and the verbal abuse, and about Yukito and how he enjoyed bringing pain to strippers when they didn't obey him.

Sakura also told him about Nakamura Yuriko being found dead two months after Christmas next to a strip club owned by a member of the Yakuza. She told him everything.

Syaoran was disgusted. He knew that there was something off about Tsukishiro Yue, besides being a suspected collaborator of the Monstrum, but now Sakura confirmed his suspects.

Yue was her frequent rapist and took her against her will just because she was a prostitute, and no one would believe that someone of her kind was raped.

Prostitution is the one of the most ancient jobs in the world, but people disrespect these women who sell their bodies, even if it was to have bread on the table to feed their children.

"Let's recap: Tsukishiro Yukito, from what you said, abuses all of the strippers if they don't do what they're told?"

Sakura nodded. "It's kind of a sexual kink of his. His favorite victim was Yuriko. She was the oldest of us and she let him, just to have some money to feed her daughter…"

Syaoran could hear the brokenness in her voice. He could tell the guilt ate at her heart fully.

Syaoran could only make one conclusion. Yue and Yukito were two faces on the same coin; one loved to cause physical pain through sexual activities, while the other loved to abuse women for no reason.

"I know what you're thinking, Detective."

Syaoran looked at her, confused.

Sakura looked at the ground, not having the courage to look at him in the face. His penetrating eyes always caused her stomach to do the weird flips and her face to flame.

 _Get a grip! He's a police man, he hates you. Get back to reality!_ Her mind told her, but her heart said another thing.

"You think that I am lying…"

Syaoran closed his eyes for a minute. _Absolutely not, Sakura… I believe any word you say._

His heart skipped a beat, realizing his mind used her first name. His desire to lock her inside a world without danger was stronger than any other desires he ever had.

"No."

At his answer, Sakura looked at him, almost breathless.

"I believe you. And, I know you probably don't believe me when I say that because a lot of people don't, but I do. We are all sinners in this world because we are human, so no one should be treated as you have been."

Sakura felt touched by his words that she almost couldn't believe the sincerity in his voice. Someone actually believed and _trusted_ her. _Don't fall in love with me, please don't fall in love with me, Syaoran…_

"But that doesn't make me a saint, Detective," she said, closing her eyes, feeling the tears burn behind them.

Syaoran clenched his fist, closing his eyes tightly, lost in thought. Maybe the both of them weren't from different worlds, because it seemed they almost saw the world the same.

Everyone were considered sinners in this world, so there weren't any saints.

* * *

Touya walked out of the interrogation room with Rika and approached Chiharu.

Chiharu stood from her desk and greeted the chief with a nod. "Has she finished the interrogation, Chief?" asked Chiharu, as she set some paperwork on her desk.

Touya nodded. "Yes, she has finished. We have new information about Mr. Terada's death and on the Tsukishiro twins. Tsukishiro Yue's brother is on the suspect list now."

Chiharu nodded, crossing her arms against her chest and looked at Rika, with a reassuring smile. "You have done the right thing, honey," she said in a motherly tone.

Rika looked at the floor and touched her flat stomach. She knew that her belly would get rounder in the following months and she prayed, after Sakura's visit, that she would not have another miscarriage. This was her new chance to become a mother. She'd be a single one, but she'd work hard to keep her child healthy and safe.

 _I'll take care of you, even if it means giving you my last breath._

Touya studied Rika's body language and a bitter smile appeared on his face before he turned to Chiharu. "You have the task of accompanying Sasaki-san to the airport. Bring someone with you in case the Monstrum tries to pull anything. It could appear at any time, even if we think that it attacks at night or dawn."

Chiharu nodded and took her holster from her desk, adjusting it on her shoulders. "Roger that. I'll take Agent Yamazaki with me."

Touya nodded, knowing he could trust Yamazaki with her. He watched her walk towards Yamazaki's desk, along with Rika before he tended to his own business. He walked towards the coffee machine and put a coin inside, wanting the bitter espresso. He heard footsteps behind him and, once his coffee was ready, turned towards the noise and saw Eriol in front of him.

"I'm guessing that the ex-stripper has given you some information," he said as he crossed his arms against his chest.

Touya nodded and drank a bit of his espresso.

"If it wasn't for Sakura who found a recent witness, we would have never known that the Monstrum chooses to attack at dawn too. Now we know when to look out." His voice was a bit rough from the hot coffee.

"I need some fresh air. I'll be staying for the evening to adjust some paperwork. Tomorrow there's a press release," Touya said as he brought his hand to his pocket and grabbed his package of cigarettes. He moved towards the entrance, leaving Eriol alone.

Eriol walked towards the wall of the main room and leaned his forehead on it. His mind was filled with the information that he didn't want to discover, especially about Tomoyo's pregnancy.

What bothered him the most was the unnecessary fight that he had with Mei-Ling last night. He shouldn't have said all those things, but he did because of the rage he felt in the moment.

 _I'm an idiot, how can I face her now when she'll come here to talk to the chief?_

In the past days, he had enjoyed working with Mei-Ling. Their bond had deepened, but he ruined it by being cruel. Even saying sorry wouldn't fix it.

He looked towards the entrance, seeing Mei-Lin enter the department. She had her hair down, not in the usual professional bun. She was dressed in a dark red shirt with a black necktie around her neck and black pants with high boots. She had some documents in her hand. Eriol was not sure what they could be.

Without even thinking, Eriol walked towards her, intending to apologize.

"Mei-Ling!" he called.

Mei-Ling turned to him and felt her heart tighten in her chest. She wanted to avoid him, but it seemed that the day had other plans for her. "What do you want?" Her voice sounded harsh.

She couldn't forget the things he said to her. They made her feel like the worst human alive after revealing that information to him. She had cried herself to sleep after realizing she was falling for a broken person like her, and she didn't want that.

"Listen to me, I know that saying sorry won't be enough, but I swear I didn't intend to say those things to you."

She could hear the sincerity, eyes getting water, but she had to control her emotions. "You're right, saying sorry won't be enough," she said, turning away from him.

Eriol shook his head and grabbed her wrist, turning her towards him. She dropped the documents. He kept a firm grip on her wrist, pulling her closer to him. Their bodies pressed against each other's slightly, eyes locking with each other's.

Eriol didn't want to let her go, just wanting her to let him talk to her and understand how much he regretted his behavior towards her.

"I'll have you fired if you don't let me go!" she shouted.

But he didn't care. With the other hand, he grabbed her chin with his thumb and forced her to look at him. "Like it or not, but we are still partnering in this shitty murder case. You can't avoid me forever." His voice was gentle and calm.

Mei-Ling could feel his warm breath on her lips, making her heart melt.

The look in his eyes was honest. They were partners, she couldn't deny that. But she didn't want to be with him right now. Or, it could have been her random outburst of her deceased boyfriend. Mei-Ling thought that the feeling of love had died with her boyfriend, but it seemed that Eriol was created that feeling again. Something she didn't want.

Mei-Ling place her hand on his chest and pushed him away gently. She reached down and grabbed her documents, rose, and looked at him, with a sad look on her eyes.

"Maybe I want to go solo with this one, Eriol…"

Before he could respond, she was already walking away from him.

Eriol covered his eyes, grinding his teeth as the tears fell from his eyes. _I'm such a selfish bastard…_ was the only thing he could think as the tears fell silently from his eyes.

Mei-Ling turned to see Eriol, still in front of the entrance of the department. A tear fell from her right eye. She knew that Eriol was broken as her, since he had lost his significant other recently.

 _I'm such a selfish bitch,_ she thought as she turned awayfrom Eriol and walked towards Touya's office. She had to talk to him about the press release tomorrow.

* * *

Night came faster than anyone expected. Everyone in the department had gone to their respective homes, including Detective Hiiragizawa and Detective Li, after he spoke to Sakura that day.

However, Touya was still inside the department along with his secretary, Akizuki Nakuru. He was working on some papers that were beginning to drive him insane. The journalists were driving him insane during the case, but Touya wanted them to see in the police's shoes, especially that boring JNN's News Journalist; Shinomoto Akiho.

He loathed her, because she had already brought dishonor to the department with her lies and misinformation. Touya wondered that she might be a collaborator of the Monstrum of Tokyo.

Shinomoto would go so low just to get a promotion. He was sure that she might even offer her body to the director of the News just to have the placement as the anchorwoman of the program.

But, he had searched for her information on the Police databases. He had found some things that showed that she was not fit to be the anchorwoman.

She was engaged with a member of the Yakuza and had done terrible things outside the country, especially in Europe.

Shinomoto Akiho had lured the banks, saying that she paid the taxes when she didn't. She had even turned someone else in who was accused of this crime. And she was also an excellent hacker. She was no woman who needed to be seen on the news.

If the Monstrum had chosen her as one of its collaborators, it had picked a fox inside a forest of lambs.

His intercom beeped loudly, interrupting his thoughts. He pressed the button quickly.

" _Chief, there's a woman from New Scotland Yard who can help with the case."_

Touya slowly removed his finger from the button of the intercom, shocked by the revelations that the woman who was waiting to receive him was from New Scotland Yard.

"It means that maybe this bastard has operated outside of Asia…damn it," he whispered as he put his hand on his lips, still shocked by the fact that this woman was from New Scotland Yard.

He pressed the button of the intercom again. "Let her in, I want to know what she has to say."

Touya didn't wait for an answer from Nakuru before releasing it. He waited for the woman to come into his office, looking straight at the door until it opened.

The dim light of the office showed him a tall woman, with her hand on her hip. "Good evening, Chief Kinomoto." The woman had a strong Scottish accent and walked towards the desk.

Touya studied her for a minute. He could say that she was a stunning woman; she had edgier features on her face and big hazel eyes. Her full lips had dark red shiny lipstick on them. She had long, light brown hair tied in a high ponytail.

She was dressed in a brown leather jacket, a black shirt with a 'v' neckline and a silver pendant on her neck. She had light blue jeans on and holsters on her thighs.

"Good evening to you miss…"

The woman smiled at him, batting her long eyelashes. "North Summers, Lieutenant at New Scotland Yard. I've seen that you're working on this case from some reports. I got curious and thought I could help out a bit."

Touya nodded, motioning her to have a seat.

North shook her head, not moving from her spot. She put her hands on the desk and looked at Touya.

"What brought you here to Japan, Summers-san?"

North raised an eyebrow, confused by Touya's question. "It was just out of curiosity, Kinomoto-san. Can't a woman be curious in her life?"

Touya shook his head, knowing that North was lying to him. It could be something more if North had come from the United Kingdom to Japan, just for the case of the Monstrum of Tokyo.

"I can recognize when someone lies, Lieutenant Summers." Touya looked into her hazel eyes. North chewed the inner part of her cheek nervously. "Why don't you tell me the truth?"

North sighed, and removed her hands from his desk, deciding in the end to have a seat and look at him with a serious look on her face.

"I've seen the reports of the Monstrum of Tokyo and I've discovered something."

Touya immediately grew interested. "Get to the point," he demanded, almost out of breath.

North took a lock of her hair and began to play with it with her index finger. "I've discovered that the murders are similar to some that happened in England years ago."


	7. Blood on the Newspaper

_Hello Everybody! As always I'm here to thank you for the kind words over this story, really, my heart is warming up to know that this story is getting loved so much._

 _I don't know how to thank you :3_

 _I'm sorry If I left you with a cliffhanger in the last chapter, but this is the way I use, leave you with a cliffy MUAHAHAHAH xD_

 _Thank you animechick123 for beta reading, as always ^^_

 _Let's go now ;)_

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **Blood on the Newspaper**

* * *

With her legs on the coffee table and a glass of wine in her hand, Sakura looked at Syaoran work on installing some micro cameras in her apartment. While he was accompanying her, he insisted on installing some safety devices on the walls of her home, just for security purposes.

Sakura agreed to this, just in case the Monstrum wanted to make an ambush and kill her next. She felt somewhat safe by Detective Li's suggestion.

With the glass against her lips and earphones in her ears, she looked at Syaoran with an interested look in her eyes. She could feel that he wanted to protect her from the murderer who killed her best friend and unborn baby. For once, she found someone who wanted to protect her from danger, other than Touya.

Maybe she needed someone outside her family who wanted to keep her in a safe glass ball and treat her like the most precious treasure in the world. Sakura never thought that it would be a Detective to have this desire…

Maybe it was just the sexual connection between them, because Sakura couldn't deny it. She could barely breathe in the man's presence sometimes. She would even go as far to say that the tension between them was almost toxic.

It wasn't toxic because of his status or the expectations that were held of him compared to her life. It was toxic because she felt like he was becoming her new drug; a drug that affected her entire body, just at the sight of him. For her, Syaoran was the equivalent of the drugs; addicted to his handsome face and craving his body to be against hers.

Sakura could feel her entire body grow hot at the thoughts. She placed the glass of wine on the coffee table and laid her hands on her belly.

 _I was clean, but it seems like Detective Li is my new drug._

At that thought, she looked at Syaoran, seeing a few tiny beads of sweat on his forehead. His shirt was unbuttoned, revealing half of his chest. Even the sight numbed her mind.

She wondered how it would feel to strip for him inside one of the rooms at the Red Lotus. The soft red lights, a pole for her to dance against, and him sitting on a couch, watching her with interest as she took off her clothing. She was sure that they would both lose control and solve their problems under the sheets by the end of the night.

"Okay, I'm done here. I've installed the last one." Sakura could hear Syaoran's voice through her earphones.

She removed them almost immediately, her erotic thoughts of Syaoran going to dust.

She stood up from the couch and gave him a weak smile. "It was a pleasure watching you work, Detective. I must admit, you look rather hot working in my house."

Syaoran's could feel his cheeks warming, not expecting her to flirt so bluntly with him. He figured that she would be serious this time around, considering he was doing serious business here.

A smirk crept to his lips and he walked towards her. Sakura bit half of her lower lip; her body growing hot instantly.

When he stood in front of her, Syaoran placed his hands around her waist and caressed her gently.

She shivered, closing her eyes as she enjoyed his touch.

Even if she was fully clothed, she felt like they were both under the sheets of her bed naked from the simple touch. It was something that she couldn't explain.

Tomoyo would have told her that it was some outrageous love attraction that probably didn't exist. Crazy lust, is what Sakura liked to call it.

 _His touch's so…hypnotizing…_

Syaoran continued to caress her waist before he slid them to her lower back.

Before she could comprehend anything, she felt Syaoran's lips against her earlobe, biting gently as he breathed his hot breath against her skin.

Sakura opened her eyes a little, almost trapped by the feeling.

"I told you the affect you have on me. Don't make me repeat myself," he whispered in a husky voice before looking at her half closed eyes.

His manhood pulsed against his pants. The desire to make her his was so strong that he wanted to take her now. But, a side of him told him to take it slow, just to let her know that there were some guys who could treat a woman right.

Despite the smell of tobacco, he could still smell the cherry blossoms, which further turned him the terrible habits she had, was beyond sensual to him. Her looks and provocative outfits weren't the only thing that grabbed his attention.

It was something that he couldn't explain. He only knew that he had more blood in his manhood, than his brain when next to her. His heart even seemed to have more of a reaction than his head does when around her.

Sakura was giving him feelings that he couldn't explain in that precise moment when next to her. It almost scared him.

Syaoran removed a hand from her body and took an earphone, curious to know what she was listening to. He was surprised to hear the song that is playing: _Remember Everything_ by Five Finger Death Punch.

It was a song that hit him right in the chest, knowing Sakura's backstory. He must say that the lyrics fit her in every possible way. She remembered everything that happened, even the killing of her best friend. In addition, being so close to home, and yet so far from home.

Syaoran let the earphone fall from his hand. Sakura fully opened her eyes and looked at him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He looked at her and caressed her cheek softly. "You miss your family, don't you?"

At that question, Sakura's eyes widened, surprised, and then her gaze shifted to her earphones. She knew what he meant.

Sakura took her phone and stopped the music immediately, then dropped it back into her pocket. "Yeah, I miss my family…but, I can't tell them the truth."

Syaoran removed his hands from her back and cheek, not having the courage to touch her again, since it was a delicate subject for Sakura. He was not sure how to comfort her in a time like this.

"I don't know if my brother told you, but my mother is dying due to heart cancer and she has at least two months to live." Sakura walked towards the kitchen and opened the fridge and took out a bottle of wine.

Syaoran walked in the kitchen, slowly making his way to her.

Sakura took out a glass and poured the wine in it. He assumed that the glass was for him, since he saw her taking out a cigarette for herself.

With her fingers, she counted the remaining cigarettes in the package. "Damn it. I need to buy another pack before going to The Red Lotus tonight," she muttered to herself before placing the cigarette between her lips and lit it.

Syaoran took the glass and sipped a bit of wine. "The Chief didn't mention this thing about your mother. It must be hard for you," he said as he took Sakura's hand into his.

She looked surprised at the sudden gesture. She didn't expect that gesture from him, but instead of letting him know how surprised she was, she nodded as she took a whiff of her cigarette.

"You have no idea. I'm tempted to tell the truth, but that could just cause her to have a heart attack, and I don't want that."

Syaoran could feel that she was holding back her tears. He knew what it felt like to lose a parent, though he was just fourteen when his father died, because of pancreas cancer. He felt like his world had crashed in that moment, so he understood.

There was no way she could tell her parents the truth. He caressed her hand as she took another whiff of her cigarette.

"Why are you so kind to me, Detective Li?" she asked, removing her hand from his touch.

Syaoran shook his head at her question. There was no reason, if he wanted to be honest. It was just a gut feeling that she needed some love and kindness in her world.

With Tsukishiro Yue constantly raping her, Tsukishiro Yukito being a bastard, beating her every time she did something wrong at the strip club, the death of Daidouji Tomoyo, lying to her parents just to protect them from any possible danger; and from her past as a junkie and now a stripper and prostitute. Syaoran could tell that Sakura was passing the seven layers of hell right now.

Sure, she had a job that allowed her to pay rent in the Shibuya District, and from what he could see; it looked expensive from the furniture and the carpet she had. In addition, it was big from what he had seen. She may have been living well enough, but that didn't mean she was being treated well.

Syaoran watched Sakura as she placed her cigarette on the ashtray. "There's no reason, Kinomoto-san. I can see that you need some kindness from someone, other than your brother. "

Sakura remained silent, feeling her heart explode in her chest.

"You are a 'sinner' in the Monstrum's eyes, and maybe also to its collaborator's eyes. But in my eyes, you are entirely human, prostitute or not."

Sakura moved her hand towards her neck, feeling a knot inside her throat. Her eyes burned with mixed emotions at his statement.

It was like fire burning in her veins, as if she inhaled the smoke of her cigarette.

Sakura closed her eyes for a moment and opened them after her heart calmed down at the sudden surge of emotions. "Nobody has ever told me such a thing." She gave him a weak, but sincere, smile.

"I'm glad that you're working on this case. I can see that Touya trusts you fully." Sakura said this with so much sincerity in her voice, making Syaoran smile.

Sakura took her cigarette between her fingers again and slowly took a whiff before letting out the smoke through her nose and mouth.

Syaoran caressed the glass of wine before taking another sip of it. "I just do my job. I'm not one of those people who stand there and watch."

Sakura nodded, and then looked at the clock hanging on the wall beside the fridge. It was a quarter to eight PM and she had to go to the Red Light District in two hours.

"I think that you should go. It's almost time for me to go to work and you have the press release tomorrow."

Syaoran nodded and drank the rest of his wine before walking towards the door, along with Sakura. He took his jacket and opened the door. "Thank you for your hospitality, Kinomoto-san."

Sakura gave him a short laugh, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms against her chest. "You auto-invited yourself, Li-san."

Syaoran chuckled shortly as his eyes met hers. As soon as their eyes locked with each other's, they couldn't move, staring the other in the eyes.

After a moment that seemed like forever, Syaoran made the move. He approached her and gently grabbed the back of her neck, pressing his lips against hers in a kiss so passionate.

Sakura, not expecting it, still kissed him back, placing her hands on his cheeks, caressing his face. She could feel the stubble growing in.

Syaoran didn't know why he kissed her, but he concluded that it was because he wanted to. He may not have been her boyfriend or fiancée, but he cared about her; maybe more than himself, despite her being a hotheaded woman that could defend herself from anything that got in her way.

He secretly admired her strength, physical and mental. Maybe it was one of the qualities that made her unique in his eyes, besides her intelligence and looks.

 _Am I really falling for her?_

That was the thought in his mind as he stopped the kiss. He took two steps back, feeling his lips swollen from the kiss. He looked at Sakura, touching her lips, a smile drawn on her face.

"Have a good evening, Li-san," she said as she moved her fingers away from her lips.

Syaoran bowed his head to her. "You too, Kinomoto-san."

Sakura closed the door once she saw Syaoran take the elevator. She pressed her back against the door and placed a hand on her chest, feeling her heart explode inside like fireworks.

A smile was on her face. She was feeling happy, but not without a reason. Maybe Syaoran was the key to have a normal life, and her not being a prostitute anymore.

 _I don't know if this is a good idea, but it feels right._

She may have been uncertain about a lot of things in her life, but she was sure that this was the first feeling that she ever felt that was actually healthy.

When she knew if this feeling was truly right, she would confess and throw everything away. The Red Lotus and the Tsukishiro twins, so she could free all of her colleagues and close that chapter of her life, once and for all.

She knew that all of her scars would disappear, thanks to Syaoran's kindness and possible love. Sakura made a promise to herself. If this sexual attraction would grow into something romantic, she swore that she would be a better person.

And for sure, Tomoyo would be proud of her, knowing that she had found a way to escape the hell of drugs and prostitution.

A tear of joy escaped her eye, knowing that if her best friend knew of this newfound interest of love, she would have gone crazy with confetti like she used to in elementary school

Sakura missed Tomoyo. She was like a sister to her, so when she was killed, along with her unborn godchild, a part of her shattered. Sakura thought that piece would be broken forever, but now she knows that she has another chance; redemption for her 'sins' and the possible love of a kind, yet handsome, detective.

* * *

The morning came faster in Setagaya's Police Department. Eriol and Syaoran looked at the journalists in the conference hall of the department. There were journalist from all the news channel, including Shinomoto Akiho.

Syaoran crossed his arms, feeling nervous. "The new information's something hot. I'm sure that these fucking journalists can't wait to get burned, it seems."

Eriol didn't hear him since he was distracted by looking at Mei-Ling on the other side of the hall, who is talking with her personal secretary; Tachibana Rei.

Mei-Ling was dressed in a black shirt with a white necktie and black pants, with high boots. She briefly looked at him and Syaoran, locking eyes with Eriol. Mei-Ling turned her gaze away from his and continued talking to her secretary.

Syaoran noticed, so he placed a hand on Eriol's shoulder to get his attention. "Are you there, man?" he asked as Eriol removed his hand from his shoulder.

"No, I'm not. I told you that I had a fight with Mei-Ling when she told me that Tomoyo was pregnant…"

Syaoran nodded, having a bit of an idea of his feelings in that moment.

Knowing that his fiancée was pregnant was quite a blow, and he thought that Mei-Ling was lying. Now he had the confirmation from yesterday's events. Even saying sorry to Mei-Ling wouldn't fix things.

"Look, Mei-Ling is stubborn, but I'm sure that she's sorry too for what happened to you two."

Eriol looked at Syaoran and nodded, hoping that he was right. "I guess you're right, but I know that saying sorry won't be enough."

Syaoran looked at him with a grim look on his face. He knew that Mei-Ling built a shell when Jinbao died and had been suffering from depression since then. Though she was his cousin, Mei-Ling was like a younger sister.

It broke his heart to see that his best friend and cousin were in a fight. Mei-Ling's pride was getting between them. The only logical theory that he knew was that Eriol and Mei-Ling were slowly falling for each other.

Since the beginning of the case, the two were getting closer. It wasn't that much of a ring of an alarm because the three of them had been friends forever and often teased each other. But now, Syaoran was sure that the death of their beloved ones had been bringing them closer.

Syaoran looked away from Eriol and saw Touya walking towards him, with a woman at his side. She was a tall brunette dressed in a denim jacket and jeans.

Touya stopped in front of Syaoran and Eriol and greeted them with, "Hiiragizawa, Li."

"Kinomoto," the two detectives greeted in unison.

The woman looked at them with an interested look in her hazel eyes. "I'm guessing one of you are working on the case."

Syaoran nodded. "You must be the woman from New Scotland Yard. Ms. Akizuki has told us about you."

She nodded and extended her hand towards Syaoran. "That's me, Lieutenant North Summers."

Syaoran shook her hand. "Detective Li Syaoran. Nice to meet you, Lieutenant."

North gave him a brief smile and shook Eriol's hand.

"Detective Hiiragizawa Eriol," he introduced himself, studying North cautiously.

The agent of New Scotland Yard came from England, but she had a strong Scottish accent. "You don't seem British, Lieutenant Summers," Eriol pointed out.

Syaoran chuckled, knowing that his partner came from England, and had a light British accent. North, however, doesn't look like one that came from London.

North smiled. "I was born in Glasgow, Scotland. But now I work and live in London"

Eriol nodded, understanding her a bit more now.

Touya crossed his arms against his chest and looked at the two detectives, especially Syaoran. "I don't know if Akizuki told you, but it seems that there were some murders in England that looked like the Monstrum's murders years ago."

Syaoran's amber eyes opened in shock. This was something new to him. The last thing that he knew about the case was that he attacked at dawn and it's objectives were the 'sinners' who went to the pleasure district.

North saw the look in Syaoran's eyes and guessed that he wanted immediate answers. "I've looked at the reports that came to my office. This Monstrum has made a scandal and now it's known worldwide. Even the Interpol in Europe and the FBI in the United States has taken interest in the case."

Eriol felt his throat go dry. Maybe that little piece of information that North had given them could be a piece of the entire puzzle.

"Did you capture the Monstrum when it was wanted in England?"

North shook her head at Eriol's question. "No. That bastard was so sly to leave the country before we could capture it."

Touya saw North clenching her fists, making him conclude that the Monstrum must have done something to someone close to her, like it had with everyone here.

Touya placed a hand on North's shoulder, in a friendly gesture. He wanted to be as friendly as possible with her, since she could help them with the case and end it.

"Are you okay, Lieutenant Summers?" Touya asked softly.

North looked at him and removed his hand from her shoulder. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for the concern, Chief Kinomoto," she said as she put her left hand on her hip and looked at Syaoran. "So, Detective Li, I've heard that you are working solo on this case."

Syaoran shook his head as he crossed his arms against his chest. "It was just a façade to make the media think that I'm working solo, Lieutenant Summers."

North smirked at Syaoran before looking at Touya with the same smirk on her face. "I suppose that the rumors are true then."

Syaoran and Eriol looked at each other with a raised eyebrow. Anger immediately flooded Touya's face at that statement.

"She prefers to be anonymous, and I prefer it too. So please Lieutenant, keep your Scottish mouth shut with your colleagues."

North laughed, making Syaoran and Eriol look at her.

"I'm just making fun of you, Kinomoto-san."

Her laugh was contagious, making the three men join in her laughter.

After a while, North returned serious and looked at Eriol, with a sad look on her face. "I've heard about your fiancée. I'm sorry for your loss, Detective Hiiragizawa."

Eriol looked at her before giving her a slight nod. "I'm fine, Lieutenant. I miss her a lot, but I've had the chance to mourn over my Tomoyo, so let's only focus on the case."

Syaoran knew that Eriol was still hurting, though he didn't want to admit it. He had mourned her in the first days of the case, when he knew that the Monstrum killed her. Syaoran would never forget his face when he saw Tomoyo's mutilated body in that photo. But he was still not over it.

He decide to change the subject before the wound could be open again. "Anyway, the District Attorney will say these things during the press release, Lieutenant?"

North nodded. "We told District Attorney Li this morning, so she could keep the journalists at bay for a while."

Touya felt somewhat admiration towards North, since she had the guts to come here a day before the press release. He must say that this woman was extremely sharp to the eye.

"Please, take a seat. The press release will begin in five minutes."

The group turned their attention to the voice that gave the advice to the journalist and they saw that it was Mei-Ling's secretary.

Syaoran looked at his boss and Lieutenant Summers. "I guess we should go."

* * *

Touya, North, Eriol, and Syaoran walked towards the platform to take a seat.

Before taking a seat, Syaoran walked towards Mei-Ling, to see if she was okay, since he knew that she had not slept much in the last few days, because of her fight with Eriol.

Mei-Ling looked at him once they were face to face. "You need something before we go on?" she asked as she adjusted her necktie.

Syaoran shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You sure you're ok, Mei-Ling? You look tired."

She rolled her eyes and moved his hand away, annoyed. "I got four hours of sleep, so I'm fine."

Syaoran sighed, not expecting such a reaction from her.

He shifted nervously, not sure how to say this next thing. "Why don't you just accept his apology? Is your pride making you so blind that you can't see that he was sincere with you?"

Mei-Ling's ruby eyes widened, and then she looked at Eriol briefly, who is sitting between Touya and North. She felt her heart tighten in her chest, and her breath caught in her throat.

She could admit that she was selfish when Eriol said 'sorry' to her and she didn't accept his apology. Maybe it was the feeling that she was feeling for him that made her act this way towards him, but she didn't want to acknowledge it.

Mei-Ling didn't want to be there this morning, but it was her duty as the district attorney to let the citizens of Tokyo know about the Monstrum.

Mei-Ling turned to Syaoran with a hard look in her eyes. "Take a seat, Detective Li," she said coldly.

Syaoran glared at her, disappointed by her attitude. "As you wish, _District Attorney._ " He walked to his seat to get out of her way. If she would treat him as _just_ a person she worked with, he could do the same.

She shook her head and walked towards the microphones and cameras. An assistant motioned that they would be live in five seconds.

When the red lights came on the camera, she took a deep breath and began to speak to the journalists and cameras. "Citizens of Tokyo, as you know, the Setagaya's Police Department is working non-stop on the case of the Monstrum. We have some new information, thanks to an anonymous witness that provided the anonymous helper of Detective Li Syaoran."

Syaoran looked at the floor, glad that Mei-Ling never mentioned Sakura's name during these press releases. He really did want to keep her protected, along with their family name.

Touya closed his eyes, grateful that Sakura had decided to remain anonymous for this case, so she wouldn't increase the danger in her life, since she was already in danger working in the Red Light District. North looked at him with a raised brow, confused by his reaction.

"It seems that the Monstrum has made an appearance overseas, years ago. To confirm that, an agent of New Scotland Yard, Lieutenant North Summers came yesterday to report this news. She came from London to give support to our Police force and figure out who the Monstrum is. Jack the Ripper II was the name of the Monstrum in England." Mei-Ling closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "We have found that our murderer kills at dawn as well."

Gasps and whispers filled the room, while the journalists wrote everything in their notes.

"And we discovered, thanks to Doctor Nishimura Minami, that one of its old victims, Daidouji Tomoyo, was two months pregnant."

Eriol closed his eyes, still shocked by the fact that his fiancée was pregnant when she was killed. Other gasps filled the room.

"I highly suggest that the citizens be careful. The Monstrum might have collaborators. The Setagaya's department already has two suspects, which we are not going to reveal until the case is closed."

Mei-Ling rose her hand, signalizing the journalists to ask their questions. Many hands rose at her permission and she looked at them. She spotted Shinomoto Akiho raising her hand and saw a wicked look in her eyes.

 _What a bitch._

She gave permission to a male journalist next to Akiho.

"Has the Setagaya's Department interrogated Mr. Mizumi's wife about his murder?" he asked.

Mei-Ling felt disgusted at that question. Many people had died, and the journalist still only cared about Mizumi Katsuhito's murder?

"Not yet, but we plan to interrogate Mizumi Kasumi as soon as possible. Be assured of that."

Other hands rose, and Mei-Ling gave permission to an old woman sitting next to the entrance.

"Is it revealed why the Monstrum kills all these people?"

Mei-Ling shook her head at the question. "We think that he likes to kill the 'sinners' who go and work in the Red Light District of Tokyo, but for the reason, we are still at a dead end."

Other hands rose, and Mei-Ling's eye fell on Akiho. She saw that she had an angry look on her face. Suddenly, she remembered that this journalist didn't accept that her questions weren't answered.

Sighing, Mei-Ling gave in, though she knew that her question would not be answered.

Akiho rose from her seat, with a smirk on her face, the angry look completely gone. "Could we please know the name of the anonymous partner of Detective Li?"

Syaoran and Touya's eyes widened at her question, while the room was filled with gasps and whispers, wondering if the woman is deaf.

Mei-Ling chewed the inner part of her cheek and her eyebrows arched in an angry expression. "I think you attended the past press releases, Shinomoto-san. You should know that – "

Mei-Ling stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked behind her. It was Syaoran. He motioned for her to move away from the cameras and let him answer Akiho.

Mei-Ling nodded as she took two steps back so Syaoran could walk towards the microphones.

"My mysterious partner prefers to remain anonymous, so the identity will _**not**_ be revealed. You should pay more attention when the district attorney speaks or review the old press releases."

Akiho groaned at his answer and tightened her grip around the pen, feeling an unstoppable desire to strangle Syaoran in front of everyone.

But she had better plans, even if that meant that her career as a journalist would be ruined, so she tried to stay calm.

"Why? Don't tell me that you have feelings for your anonymous partner. C'mon, Detective Li, you're handsome and all, but we all know that you're just a cold hearted bastard."

Mei-Ling felt her anger rise in her chest, hearing Akiho insult Syaoran. _You bitch! How dare you?!_

Syaoran didn't answer her, because her words were poison as arsenic and he knew not to fall into her trick. "You should know to have some respect over a Detective. And, there's only one cold hearted bastard in this room." Silence fell in the room. "And that's you, Shinomoto Akiho!" Syaoran pointed a finger towards Akiho.

She remained motionless, letting the notes and pen fall to the floor. She clenched her fists, feeling her anger rise. Akiho bit her lower lip, feeling the adrenaline rush due to the embarrassment. She reached a hand into her jacket, pulling out a gun, and pointed it towards Syaoran.

Gasps of shock and fear filled the room once again. " _Peccatorum omnium est morietur_!" and then she pulled the trigger several times.

Syaoran was quick to dodge the bullets.

However, the bullets hit Touya's shoulder, making him groan in pain. He placed a hand on the part that was hit by the bullets.

North stood from her seat and ran towards Akiho, feeling the need to capture the journalist, but Akiho shot her foot.

North fell on the floor, groaning in pain. She looked at the agents in the room. "Capture her!" she shouted.

The agents ran towards Akiho.

Akiho walked in between the rowdy crowd, as they ran towards the exit, and shot towards the agents to keep them away.

Each agent fell, covering the white floor with blood.

Touya and Eriol stood from their seat and walked towards Syaoran.

Syaoran looked at the injury on Touya's shoulder. "Are you ok, Chief?"

Touya nodded and then looked at Eriol and Syaoran. "This was unexpected, but we need to stay calm. Hiiragizawa, take the District Attorney out of here, immediately!"

Eriol nodded. "Roger that!" Then he nearly ran towards Mei-Ling and gently took her forearm, pulling them towards the exit.

* * *

Sakura sat on the couch of her living room, hands on her mouth. Tears rolled down her cheeks, shocked that her brother got shot by Shinomoto Akiho.

She was seeing the press release on television and didn't expect Akiho to have a gun on her. Sakura dried her tears with the palm of her hand furiously. "You heartless bitch!" she shouted towards the television before switching it off.

Sakura ran towards the entrance, put on her boots, and took the keys of her apartment. She looked at another pair of keys.

Sakura bit her lower lip as she looked at them. They were the keys of her motorcycle that she hadn't rode in years, before she began to work for the Red Lotus. It was just in the parking lot rotting. But, this was an emergency and she needed to go to Setagaya's Department as soon as possible, to see if Syaoran, Touya and Eriol were okay.

"Fuck it."

With determination in her eyes, she grabbed the keys and headed out of her apartment.

She ran to the parking lot and saw her motorcycle beside a red car. It still looked new even after years of disuse.

Sakura hopped on and cranked it up. She drove towards the Setagaya's Police Department. In her heart, she prayed that her brother would be okay.  
She couldn't lose him, but she couldn't lose Syaoran either.

 _Please be okay, I'm coming!_

* * *

Akiho continued to shoot at the agents who tried to capture her. She saw that Eriol and Mei-Ling were trying to open the doors of the emergency exit. Little did they know, she had locked it from behind. A smirk appeared on her lips as she pointed her gun towards Eriol and shot.

The bullet hit Eriol's chest and he groaned, falling to the floor.

Mei-Ling's eyes widened, before she kneeled to the floor and took his shoulders gently. "NO! Please, Eriol, don't!" she shouted before placing her ear against his chest. Eriol was unmoving.

Her vision blurred, tears falling freely down her cheeks as she sobbed loudly. She felt a sense of remorse and pain in her chest, like a reminder of the events of Jinbao's death.

Syaoran looked at the scene with wide eyes and then he looked at Akiho. Seeing red, he took his gun and began to shoot at her, but she dodged the bullets easily.

Touya grabbed his wrist, making him stop. "Don't shoot, moron! We need to keep her alive!"

Syaoran did as he asked and lowered his gun, then he saw that Akiho approached North, who was lying on the floor.

North looked at her with rage in her eyes and a sarcastic smile on her face. She laughed curtly at her. "Detective Li is right. You're such a pitiful woman with a cold heart."

Akiho kicked her face with her heel, an expressionless look on her face as she watched North bleed out.

"You came here for nothing, Lieutenant Summers. You came here to help, but you're too weak to do anything."

North couldn't speak or move as the lady continued to assault her.

"You're so pathetic. You want to help, but you can't help anyone. I know your backstory. Your parents and little brother were killed by the Monstrum and you couldn't help them because you were in Oxford."

North felt a sense of nausea rising in her stomach. How could she know her backstory?

Then, she remembered that she was a journalist and could find out everything.

"This are reserved information, Miss Shinomoto!"

Akiho kicked her again, scarring the woman's face. North rolled on the floor, with a hand on her bruised lips.

Syaoran hated to just stand there and watch North receive a beating, so he had to do something without drawing any attention. He took the handcuffs from his belt and slowly walked towards Akiho.

Touya noticed and gasped. "Li! Come back here!" he whispered, but Syaoran didn't listen as he walked in stealth mode towards Akiho, while she continued to look at North.

He watched Akiho look at North with a fake smile on her lips. "Don't talk, your Scottish accent is annoying to me."

North spat the blood out of her mouth, feeling pathetic under the woman's patronizing glare.

Syaoran arrived behind Akiho and grabbed her wrists, pulling them behind her as he binded them with his handcuffs. "You're under arrest for murder, Shinomoto Akiho."

Akiho laughed loudly. "Oh no, the game has just began!"

* * *

Sakura arrived in front of the Setagaya's Police Department and got off the motorcycle. She saw people running out of the building, scared and screaming. Journalist were speaking to the cameras, talking about what happened inside the building.

Not the least bit interested, Sakura ran towards the entrance and saw that the building was empty, until she looked at the floor and saw blood everywhere.

Sakura followed the traces of blood and spotted dead bodies everywhere. She presumed that they were some of Touya's agents inside the building.

She looked up and saw that a door was still open. She heard some voices talking and followed suit. Sakura put her back against the door, listening to a woman with a Scottish accent talking about some reserved information and then she heard her brother whispering to someone.

She remained still for a while and waited for the right moment to enter.

"You're under arrest for murder, Shinomoto Akiho." Sakura recognized Syaoran's voice immediately. He was angry.

Then a laugh filled the room.

Sakura walked inside slowly and quietly.

"Oh no, the game has just begun!" Akiho abruptly turned towards Syaoran, catching him off guard, and striking his face with her hand-cuffed hands.

Syaoran grabbed his cheek, feeling blood pour from his cheek from her nails. His immediate response was to attack back, but he remembered her insinuation of him being a heartless man.

Akiho raised a brow and a smile appeared on her face. "Are you afraid, Detective? Or you suddenly don't hit women?"

Sakura came behind Akiho, grabbing her neck to get the woman's attention. The Journalist growled, turning to Sakura.

Syaoran and Touya looked at her, a surprised look evident on their faces. "Sakura?!" they said simultaneously.

"You!" Instead of answering, Sakura threw her fist at the woman's face before kicking at her. Akiho was forced to take a few steps back.

Sakura looked at her fiercely, not feeling the need to talk. She wanted the woman dead for shooting at her brother like that.

"You shouldn't have shot at my brother, stupid journalist!" she shouted angrily.

She ran towards the lady, tackling her as she continue to mercilessly punch the woman.

Ready to land another hit to the woman's face, Sakura almost made it, but she felt a something strong pull at her arms, moving her away from the woman.

"Enough, Sakura!"

Akiho saw this as an opportunity to flee after kicking the gun away from her.

Touya muttered profanities under his breath as he walked towards North, still holding his shoulder. He offered her his hand.

"Are you okay, Miss North?" he asked, showing a bit of concern for her.

Touya could see the blood pooling around her foot.

North took his hand and looked at him, nodding. "In pain, but yes, I'll be fine. Thank you, Chief Kinomoto."

Syaoran released Sakura from his arms after she calmed down. Sakura didn't know what had taken over her body to react that way. She just knew that she wanted to find her brother and Syaoran safe and alive.

Luckily, she arrived on time to not miss anything.

"I'm sorry, but we needed her alive. She might take us to the Monstrum," Syaoran apologized to Sakura.

Sakura looked at him and nodded. Then, the pair saw Mei-Ling with an unconscious Eriol in her arms.

The two approached them, hearing Mei-Ling's sobs as she begged him to open his eyes.

Then he coughed, and Mei-Ling stopped suddenly, feeling a sense of relief in her heart. Eriol opened his eyes and then unbuttoned his shirt, revealing that he had a bulletproof vest on.

Syaoran shook his head with a smile on his face, forgetting that Eriol always kept a bulletproof vest on, even if he was inside the office.

"Damn it, I didn't expect that bullet to come," he said sarcastically before Mei-Ling hugged him tightly.

Eriol was motionless first, due to shock, but he hugged her back after realizing the woman embracing him.

"Thank you for protecting me, Eriol," she said brokenly against his chest.

* * *

 _Author Note: Whoops! That was a long chapter folks! Sorry if it was too long ahah xD But I hope that you enjoyed it :D And damn…so much blood and violence, I did a good choice rating this fic M xD_

 _See you soon :3_

 _\- Anya_


	8. Ambush of the Liar

_Welcome to a new chapter! As always I thank you for your reviews and for putting the story in your favorites ^^ It means a lot :3_

 _Also: It's approaching the first anniversary of this story, it was on December 31_ _st_ _that I've wrote the first chapter, wow. Time flies fast isn't it?_

 _Also: I want to tell you that I got a new job and updates may go slower, also I began again acting classes and I have to study a lot._

 _Enough for the explanations and let's start since I left you on a cliffhanger xD_

 _Thank you animechick132 for beta-reading, as always :3_

 _Lights, Camera, Action :D_

* * *

 **Chapter 8:**

 **Ambush of the Liar**

* * *

Touya clenched his teeth as Lieutenant Mihara tried to get the bullet out of his shoulder. He couldn't remain still as he moved away from her touch.

Chiharu was a great medic and always helped the injured agents when the police department was ever under attack. They normally came prepared for things like that, though. This event was unexpected.

Touya felt a sense of shame wash over him, feeling that his honor was destroyed forever inside the department. He couldn't keep anyone protected this time.

Chiharu groaned in annoyance and placed her fists on her hips, looking at the chief with a scolding look, as if she were a mother scolding her child. "Kami-sama! Can you hold still for five minutes so I can remove the bullet inside your shoulder?!"

Her voice sounded annoying to Touya. He never liked to be scolded by one of his agents, but he hated to admit that she had a right to.

Chiharu tried her best to tend to her colleagues' wounds after the shooting in the press release and she succeeded. Unfortunately for some, she couldn't do much, so they were sent to the nearest hospital. Others had died immediately from internal hemorrhage or vital organs being damaged.

 _This suck._

Touya tried, once again, to hold still as Chiharu continued to use the utensils to take the bullet out of his shoulder.

"Lieutenant Summers had a bullet to the feet, so she'll limp for a bit, I'm afraid," Chiharu said as she looked at the hole caused by the bullet through his skin.

Touya had not lost much blood, but North had. It was luck that Shinomoto had shot her foot rather than anything else.

Touya nodded and looked up and down nervously. "Miss North will surely be an important resource for this case. I'm glad that she's safe."

Chiharu looked at him with a raised brow and an amused smile on her face. "You're already on first name basis with her, Chief?" she teased as she took a utensil from the table to use to get rid of the bullet.

Touya shivered at the contact of the metal object on his skin.

Chiharu took a cloth and placed it inside Touya's mouth. "This is going to hurt, so don't say I didn't warn you," she said as she tried to remove the bullet gently.

His teeth clamped down on the cloth, a muffled groan of pain escaping his throat once Chiharu removed it successfully out of his skin.

She immediately took a sterile gauze and placed it on his shoulder to stop the bleeding.

Touya removed the cloth from his mouth once the process was done. "That hurt like hell."

Chiharu rolled her eyes as she cleaned his shoulder. "You men are such babies. I wonder how you could ever handle a monthly cycle or even giving birth. My mother always told me that if men had that time of the month, it could be the extinction of humankind."

Touya laughed bitterly at the joke. "I don't want to imagine _that_ kind of pain, thank you."

Suddenly, the door of the infirmary opened.

Chiharu and Touya looked towards the area, only to see a woman with her hand on her holster, ready to take the gun out and protect. They let out a sigh of relief once they realized it was North.

The Scottish woman shook her head and crossed her arms against her breasts. "You thought I was the crazy journalist, didn't you?" she asked as she shook her head again.

Chiharu laughed as she looked at North with an interested look. It seemed that she wanted to speak with Touya alone from the look the woman gave her.

"You need to talk, Summers?" Touya asked, not looking at her; too embarrassed of what happened inside that room, because of the crazy journalist.

North nodded and looked at Chiharu, a bitter smile on her face. "Can you leave us alone, Lieutenant Mihara?"

"Yes, I imagined that you wanted to speak in private with Kinomoto," she said as she walked towards the door.

She left the two alone inside the infirmary.

North limped towards the chair beside Touya and sat on it. He noticed the bandages on her cheeks and forehead. Almost all of her stunning features were covered by them because of Akiho's brutal attacks. She still had a fresh cut on her bottom lip.

"You lost a lot of blood, didn't you?" Touya asked unexpectedly, noticing the fresh wound on her lip.

North nodded as she noticed the sterile gauze still on his shoulder. She took it and began to massage his shoulder with it, noticing he lost a lot of blood as well.

"Let's say that I was lucky. In other circumstances, I could have died," she said bluntly as she continued to massage his shoulder.

His sense of shame washed away at hearing that statement. Touya looked at her before taking her wrist gently, removing her hand from his shoulder slowly.

North could feel her heart beating against her chest loudly, sensing sincerity in his dark eyes. They almost felt like an abyss you could drown in.

"You should not feel shame for what happened." North moved her hands to his cheeks, feeling the rough texture of his skin, because of the unkempt beard. "Everyone makes mistakes, believe me. I may seem like a perfectionist, but I make mistakes too."

Something moved inside him. Touya took both of her wrists, making her gasp at the sudden touch. "Is it involved with your backstory, North?" he asked, in a not-too-kind tone.

North's eyes widened at his question, and from the sudden use of her first name. True, he had used her first name hours ago, but he did with formality. Now, it was like he used it as if they had known each other for years. The way her name sounded on his tongue made her mind go numb.

 _It is clear as water; Kinomoto is desperate to solve the case in one way or another, with or without help._

North's gaze averted from him to look at the floor. "That is not any of your business, Kino— "

"Touya." He released her wrist; his voice sounding kind and soothing to her ears now.

North looked at him with a raised brow. "What?"

"Call me Touya."

She continued to look at him, shocked by his sudden demand.

Touya shook his head and ran both his hands through his hair, nervously. "Look, I want you to know that you can trust me. I'm not asking to be your secret diary or anything, but I am here for you."

North continued to look at the floor, almost tempted to bite her lips furiously, as a habit she had when nervous, but then she remembered that she had a fresh wound on her bottom lip.

"I just want…" He suddenly stopped, feeling his voice block inside his throat.

North rose from her chair and slowly limped towards the infirmary door, because of the bandage on her foot.

"I don't want to talk about it, Touya. These are my demons and I've decided not to share them with anyone beside myself." She looked at him with a sad look in her eyes, feeling the pain of the events that happened in the past.

North had blamed herself for the death of her parents, especially her brother, Shaun. He was only ten years old when he was killed, along with her parents when the Monstrum acted and killed those people in England.

New Scotland Yard never thought that the murder could have attacked in Scotland, especially in her hometown: Glasgow. North was in Oxford when it happened, and then she abandoned college and began to work hard to enter into the police force of the United Kingdom.

Touya could feel his heart drop in his chest as it broke, hearing distrust in her voice. However, he had a bit empathy for her. He had his own demons too; protecting Sakura, not wanting their parents to find out about her true 'job.' Touya always thought the world is a messed up place, where lies are always believed than the bare truth.

"I have my own demons too."

North looked at him as her hazel eyes widened, her ponytail swaying in the process.

Touya gave her a weak smile and rose from the chair, walking towards her.

North took limping steps back, not wanting him to get closer.

"Do you have any idea of the hell that I'm living? Just to protect my sister?" His voice rose in frustration.

North stopped and closed her eyes tightly.

"My sister wasn't killed, you saw her in that room, beating Shinomoto. If Sakura were to be killed by the Monstrum because she works in the Red Light District, I wouldn't know how to explain it to my parents."

North remained silent, not daring to say a word to him. But she couldn't resist for too long. Her mind gave birth to a new revelation about his condition. "Why can't you tell the truth to your _living_ parents?! Be blessed that they are still alive! My brother was only ten when he died because of that cold-hearted bastard!"

North could taste the salty flavor of tears on the side of her mouth; eyes producing more tears with an angry expression on her face.

Touya's eyes widened at seeing North talking about her deceased brother. Without thinking, he moved closer to her and grabbed her waist, embracing her tightly. He always did that when Sakura had a breakdown when she was a junkie. The only difference this time was that he wasn't with a junkie, but a grown woman who was blaming herself for the death of her parents and brother.

North didn't expect Touya to embrace her, making the tears pour from her eyes uncontrollably.

"I can't tell them, because they wouldn't understand," he said gently as he continued to hold her tightly.

After a while, hearing her breathing calm down, he released her, the tears still falling from her eyes.

"I want to be your friend, North. Not just a colleague."

North continued to look at him, eyes still watery and tears falling. She shook her head and turned towards the door, her hand on the handle. "Business," she said after a moment of silence. "I only came here for business and to help you with the case…" she said while opening the door.

Before he could respond, she walked out, closing it behind her.

Touya sighed and looked at the floor, feeling his heart drum against his chest. He assumed that maybe she needed to trust him more before saying they could be friends.

Touya only knew one thing; the Scottish woman was interesting. That strong and sarcastic façade was a shield from the pain that she has probably felt during all these years.

* * *

"I already said I'm fine," Sakura said to the agent while he checked her pulse, seeing if she had any high blood pressure.

He rose his hands in defense, as if saying 'I'm sorry' and told her that she could leave the building right now.

Sakura was glad that she arrived on time to save Syaoran, Touya, Eriol and the District Attorney. She never showed that part of herself to anyone, if it wasn't needed, but after seeing the gunfire on TV, she had to do something immediately before she lost her brother and the source of her new emotions that she was feeling right now.

She walked towards the exit of the building. Once out of the building, she saw the sun in the sky and closed her eyes thoughtfully, asking herself if she had done the right thing hours before.

Sakura knew her actions were reckless. She _attacked_ Shinomoto Akiho, a suspected collaborator of the Monstrum and a journalist. Maybe it could be confirmed that she was one of the collaborators after her attack on the department during the press.

Sighing, she moved her hand towards her pocket, trying to reach for her cigarettes, but she remembered that she forgot them at home. Feeling the need of tobacco in her lungs, she approached one of the agents that had a cigarette in her fingers. As she was about to ask for one, she felt a hand on her shoulder, making her turn to see the person who touched her.

It was a woman with ruby eyes, who is dressed in a black shirt with a white necktie and black pants. Sakura immediately recognized her as the District Attorney.

"I assume that you want a cigarette to release some tension, right?" she asked with a smile on her face.

Sakura nodded.

Mei-Ling opened her purse and took out a package of cigarettes and offered one to Sakura.

She took it without thinking twice about it.

Mei-Ling took a drag and put it between her lips, lighting it. She released the smoke while closing her eyes then she gave the lighter to Sakura.

Sakura took it and lit her cigarette. "I didn't know that the District Attorney smokes," she said as the smoke came out of her nostrils.

Mei-Ling shook her head and crossed her arms, raising her hand with the cigarette between her fingers. "I don't have the vice to do so frequently. I quit two years ago but sometimes I do it to release some tension. It helps me relax," Mei-Ling said as she inhaled her cigarette once again.

Sakura looked at the floor, too embarrassed to look at her. The District Attorney kind of reminded her of Syaoran. Maybe it was the shape of her eyes or her skin complexion. She had to admit that she was a beautiful and strong woman.

"I don't think I've introduced myself."

Sakura suddenly looked up again and inhaled her cigarette, releasing the smoke from her mouth.

Mei-Ling looked at her with a smile on her lips and extended her hand. "Li Mei-Ling," she said with that same smile on her face.

Sakura returned the smile and shook her hand. "Kinomoto Sakura."

Once they introduced themselves, they looked and studied each other.

Mei-Ling looked Sakura up and down. Even though she had seen her on the second day of the case, she remembered her being stunning and seductive. Especially with her choice of clothing. Maybe her job had affected her way of dressing up, Mei-Ling had assumed.

Sakura had on a sleeveless black shirt and shorts, revealing her long legs. She wasn't much taller, but neither too small.

Besides that, Mei-Ling thought that Sakura had strong confidence in herself. Maybe more than she ever had. Maybe it was the confident expression on her face that told her that the chief's sister was stronger than she seems.

Sakura looked at her with a raised brow before taking a whiff of her cigarette. "Do I have something on my face, Li-san?" she asked her in a formal tone.

Mei-Ling shook her head and smiled at her. "Call me Mei-Ling. I'm sure you call my cousin that," she teased, while taking a whiff of her cigarette. Once she did that, she felt disgusted at the aftertaste of it and threw it to the ground immediately.

Sakura blushed lightly at the mention of Syaoran with a smirk on her face. "Nope, I call that sex bomb, Detective Li, simply." She took another whiff from her cigarette and blew out the smoke slowly. "Handsome, gentle, and a beast in bed, I'm sure."

Mei-Ling paid attention to her last words, feeling surprised at how blunt she was about such explicit things. She didn't wonder why, though. Sakura is a stripper from the Red Light District and made every man blush and the beast in their pants lead their actions.

Sakura laughed at the expression on Mei-Ling's face. "I haven't slept with your cousin, if you're wondering. Let's say that we did some…" Silence… " _Dirty things_ in an alley."

A smirk formed on both of their lips, as Sakura crossed her arms against her chest and looked at the midday sun in the sky.

"You're talking as if we are friends, yet I'm a stranger to you. I've known you for a solid few minutes, Miss Sakura."

Mei-Ling didn't look at her, making the smirk became a smile on her lips. Sakura's expression went neutral now, interested by her statement. "It's a good thing actually—talking to a stranger about intimate things, especially if you did them with someone related. In this case, Syaoran is my cousin, but he's like a brother to me."

Sakura nodded, but Mei-Ling continued to avoid looking at her.

"Some people are like open books, without even looking at the cover of it." She finally looked at Sakura, her smile gone. "In your case, people judge you by your cover. They rank you as a bad girl, when you've surely passed the seven layers of hell…."

Sakura blinked; her words hitting her heart like arrows. "How do you know that?" she asked calmly, trying to hide the curiosity behind her dull tone.

Mei-Ling laughed nervously and moved her hand in front of her cheeks, hiding an embarrassed blush. "I heard the conversation between the Chief, Syaoran, and Eriol on day one of the case, since I was curious as hell. I wanted to hear what your brother had to say."

Sakura nodded, feeling relaxed at her explanation. _You can't blame a curious person. In addition, curiosity kills the cat,_ she thought as she took another whiff of her cigarette.

"I was touched, by what you've been through…" Mei-Ling remained silent for a moment, her heart aching at the memory when she was diagnosed with depression after Jinbao's death.

Sakura, on the other end, turned to drugs, because she was devastated when she was fired from Amamiya's Corporation.

But now, she's here, a stripper and she had said no to the drugs and refused anything toxic inside her body. The only exceptions she made were using cigarettes.

"I never was perfect, Mei-Ling. I've never pretended to be someone I don't want to be." Sakura threw her cigarette on the ground, pressing her foot against it. "I'm not proud that I was a junkie. I hate myself for using the drugs, and I hate myself for being a stripper, but at the same time, I love it."

Mei-Ling blinked twice, confused now.

Sakura laughed without a hint of humor. "I hate it because of the Tsukishiro twins. They treat the strippers and the waitresses like trash. Nakamura Yuriko is an example…or even better, Sasaki Rika, who was fired because she's pregnant." She looked at the ground and caressed her right wrist slowly. "But, I love it, because…I love to show off this body to hungry men who desire my own skin on theirs. I love dancing around that pole, teasing those men."

Sakura looked at Mei-Ling, having fire in her eyes; fire of pleasure and love of showing off her own body. "And I _love_ doing dirty things with my clients. I hate when I do them with married men and to the ones who are younger than me…"

Mei-Ling had a question for her, burning against her throat like hot sugar in her mouth.

"And before you ask," Sakura moved closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and moved her lips closer to her ear, "Li Syaoran is **not** my client, even if we had one escapade. I loved it and I'd love to do that again, but he's not my client." Her whisper wasn't teasing or seductive, but it was friendly and honest.

In some strange way, she said it as if it were her deepest and darkest secret in her heart.

Sakura moved away from Mei-Ling and smiled at her.

Mei-Ling released her arms against her chest. "You are going to be a bad influence on Syaoran's life, in a good way actually, as odd as it sounds." She winked at her.

Sakura laughed, this time with actual humor. "I'm sure that me and you will become great friends," she said, while taking steps back. She turned her back, walking towards her motorcycle.

Mei-Ling called after her, making Sakura look at her with a friendly look on her face. "I'm sure about that too, Sakura," she said before being interrupted by a journalist who asked for an interview.

Unwillingly, she accepted and waved at Sakura before walking with the journalist.

Sakura waved back and looked back at her motorcycle, seeing a figure against it from the reflection. She recognized that it was Syaoran immediately.

Sakura walked towards him, while her heart drummed against her chest, afraid of what he had to say to her, especially after she tried to attack Shinomoto Akiho.

Syaoran walked towards her too.

They stopped when they were face to face, not daring to speak a word to each other as they stared at one another.

Not resisting anymore, Sakura hugged him tightly.

It took him a moment to respond, surprised by the sudden gesture, but then he hugged her with all the warmth and care of a man to a woman shortly after.

"I'm glad you're safe, Detective Li," she whispered brokenly.

Syaoran broke the embrace and placed both of his hands on her cheeks, caressing them slowly. "I'm sorry about everything back there, but we need her alive," he said, looking her directly in the eyes. He could see the pure and sweetness in her eyes, which surprised him. A provocative prostitute showing off her pure side?

He caressed the lower part of her eyes with his thumb, even if she didn't shed any tears. Syaoran knew that Sakura is a woman that cries behind closed doors. His instincts told him to let her know that he was here for her, in case she wanted to, though.

Sakura felt her cheeks warm at his gentle touch on her skin. Most of the times, men were rough with her just because they wanted to feel her skin against their own skin. However, with Syaoran, she knew that it was different.

She finally felt something pure in her life and she wanted to keep it safe.

She grabbed his wrists and removed his hands from her cheeks and looked at the ground. "I know…I'm glad that you stopped me on time, before I could have killed that bitch," she said in a bitter tone.

Syaoran clenched his fists, remembering the scary feeling of when he saw her inside that room.

He was afraid that Akiho could have shot at her without any mercy. He didn't want to see Sakura's dead body in a puddle of blood. Especially not when he was developing feelings for her, besides the sexual tension that he felt towards her.

Also, Syaoran had made a promise to himself and Touya, that she wouldn't get a single scratch from the Monstrum or one of its collaborators. Syaoran had not said it to Touya yet, but both of the Tsukishiro twins abused her.

"If she's a collaborator of the Monstrum, we have to interrogate her. I'm sure that you know this, Sakura."

Sakura finally looked at him, nodding. "I know that all too well, Detective Li."

After these few words, no one dared to speak, enjoying the silence between them and looking at each other with thoughts of a new life. For both of them, it was a blissful feeling, seeing each other as something new in their lives. Maybe even the key to a new life.

Syaoran crossed his arms and continued to look at her, admiring her wit, mentally complimenting her strength, while being fascinated by her beauty.

For him, Sakura's beauty was more than appearance. She cared for the people close to her, like her parents and her friends, even if she had a complicated relationship with her brother. Yet, besides the vicissitudes, she still cared deeply for her brother. He could feel it.

She wasn't even made of stone, unlike her strong façade. Daidouji Tomoyo's death had hit her straight in the heart, creating a bleeding wound.

He still couldn't explain the attraction that he has towards her. Sure, she is stunning, and he loves when she makes some sexual references to him. His body grew hot at the memory of the sexual escapade in that alley. He had sexual escapades in the past, but this one escapade with her was always stuck on his mind. It stuck with him like glue.

Syaoran had dreams of her, and they weren't the chaste dreams that he normally would have.

That same night of their escapes, he had dreams of Sakura in his bed, with black lingerie, fishnet stockings, and long black boots. He looked at her while she bit her lower lip sensually and moved her hand, motioning him to get closer to the bed, and then…everything happened.

She was dancing on his manhood, his hands caressing her waist, and the moaning of his name while he licked her breasts. The dream was beyond his beliefs.

Syaoran shook his head furiously at the thought of that dream as he felt his manhood pulsing against his pants.

Sakura noticed and raised a curious brow, while walking towards him.

"Don't tell me that that you're getting aroused at a moment like this," she said with a smirk. She placed a hand on his chest, while taking steps forward.

Syaoran smirked at her, taking steps back on each step forward that she took. His bum touched Sakura's motorcycle, making him stop.

Sakura learned closer to his face as her hand rose to his chin. With her thumb, she touched his lips. "Did you call me Sakura?" she asked with the smirk still evident on her face.

Syaoran kissed her thumb before the tip of his tongue licked her skin, teasing her. "Is that a problem…" He moved his hands to her waist, bringing her closer to him.

Sakura gasped, surprised by his reaction to her question. She felt his body getting hotter as she felt his pulsing manhood press against her lower body. Her lips cracked in a seductive smile while he moved his lips towards her ear. "… _Sakura?_ " he whispered and then kissed her earlobe.

Sakura could feel the shivers glide down her spine when Syaoran called her name and kissed her.

She slid her hands under his shirt, caressing his abs with one hand and his chest with the other. Her neck arched when she felt his lips kiss down towards her neck.

He kissed her neck slowly, leaving wet traces on her skin.

They heard someone clearing their throat, making them part immediately, looking at the person who interrupted their moment.

Sakura felt her heart skip a beat.

Yue stood in front of them with his arms crossed against his chest and a furious look on his face. He released his arms and walked towards Sakura, landing a hard slap to her cheek. Syaoran growled at the scene.

Sakura placed a hand on her cheek and looked at Yue with the same look as him.

"So you _are_ sleeping with a policeman. You're in serious trouble, Sakura," he said in a cold voice.

Sakura removed her hand from her cheek and slapped him in return. "Asshole, you don't control my life outside the strip club," she said, ready to land another one to his face.

However, Yue grabbed her wrist and pushed her to the ground. She fell on the cold asphalt, groaning from the pain.

"You should respect your boss, Sakura. Remember the contract, you are _ours_ and you'll be _ours_ until we decide that we are tired of you."

Syaoran remained motionless, closing his eyes and breathing slowly, trying to calm down at the scene in front of his eyes.

 _He's been stalking her._ He thought, since he couldn't find any other explanation, Yue was her stalker and rapist. She was his 'favorite' stripper among the other ones at the Red Lotus.

Opening his eyes and finally calming down, with a clear mind, Syaoran walked towards Yue, putting himself in front of Sakura.

She was breathless for a moment, looking at Yue stare at Syaoran with an irritated look on his face. "Get out of here, you scum. This is none of your business."

Syaoran smirked as he took his badge and showed it to Yue. "You should respect authority, Tsukishiro Yue," he said in a challenging tone.

Yue showed no surprise at his statement or show of evidence.

Syaoran looked at Sakura and offered her his hand. She took it without hesitation and he helped her raise from the asphalt.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice going soft.

She nodded.

Yue shook his head, annoyed by the scene in front of his eyes. He laughed, making the pair look at him.

Sakura felt the anger rise in her chest, just as it had when she attacked Akiho in that room in front of Syaoran and Touya. She just wanted to hurt him, as he and Yukito hurt her for all of these years.

She had enough of their physical, sexual, and mental abuse. Maybe this was the time that she could leave the Red Lotus for good, contract or not.

"How romantic. A prostitute and cop having a relationship," he said sarcastically. "You need to be home resting, Sakura. You have to perf— "

"She has a free day today," Syaoran said before Yue could finish his sentence.

Sakura looked at him, her heart fluttering in her chest. Syaoran looked at her and winked.

He looked at Yue and walked towards him, taking his handcuff from his belt.

Yue shook his head, amused by his gesture. "You think that those handcuffs scare me, kid?"

Syaoran shook his head, once again with a smirk on his lips. "No, but I can arrest you. I know your criminal profile. Drug dealer, rapist, and bank robber. The list could go on. I have more than one reason to let you rot in a cell, Tsukishiro."

For the first time, Yue felt his blood go cold at Syaoran's threat. He felt his hands and legs tremble in fear. He bit his lips nervously, feeling annoyed by Detective Li and the threats to arrest him.

"Kinomoto Sakura is a witness and she is _my_ key witness. I have the order to protect her. An order imposed by her brother, Chief Kinomoto Touya. Does this name ring a bell in your head?" Syaoran looked him up and down. "Or do you only think with your dick?"

Yue looked at the gun on Syaoran's holster, tempted to take it and shoot a bullet straight through his head, but the detective knew he looked at the gun.

Syaoran took a few steps back, moving away from Yue. "Get lost before I arrest you, or worse, I'll get Sakura a restraining order, so you can't get any closer than one hundred meters in her presence."

Yue knew that it was a losing battle, so he sighed, pointing a threatening finger at Sakura. "You are going to regret this. Don't be surprised when you're dead in a puddle of sperm and blood. I told you once not to play with fire and being with these police proves your death is near. You won't even be able to say that I warned you when the Monstrum fucks you and rid of you right afterwards."

These words didn't affect her one bit, as she was used to them by now. Sakura looked at him with a furious look on her face. _None of this affects me the way you think it does, asshole!_

"Be sure of that, Sakura. Your life is going to end _**sooner**_ than you think." He turned his back on the pair and walked away from them.

Sakura and Syaoran let out a sigh of relief when they saw Yue walking towards a silver car. Sakura walked towards the detective and placed a hand on his shoulder. Syaoran looked at her and took her hand.

"He didn't mean any of that, okay? He just said all of that because he was scared about my threat to arrest him." His hand moved towards her cheek, feeling the soft texture of her skin. "Don't worry, I'm going to protect you."

She could feel her cheeks going warm, her heart exploding from emotions that she felt at hearing the sincerity in his tone. She took a deep breath before taking his hand and removing it from her cheek. "Thank you, Detective," her voice sounded almost like a whisper.

Syaoran could only smile at her simple 'thank you.'

Sakura walked towards her motorcycle, taking the keys from her pocket. She made sure all of her keys were there for extra precaution.

Syaoran looked at her, the smile never fading from his lips. "What are you going to do on your free day?" he asked, a spark of interest in his voice.

Sakura returned the smile and rest her hands on her back, while walking backwards. "Doing chores, grocery shopping, listening to music, watching a TV show… Nothing special. But, I do think that doing simple things is special for a woman like me." She gave him a wink and then looked back at her motorcycle before hopping on it. She cranked it up at full speed.

Syaoran watched her leave the parking lot of the department with a smile on his face, knowing that this woman would always do unexpected things in his life.

His heart twisted in anticipation, knowing the way he feels about her isn't quite normal. He was still a man, so of course he wanted her to strip for him and have her body. Oddly enough, he just wanted her to do it for him, though.

But, despite him being aware of his interests in her that way, Syaoran was sure that he would protect her from any danger and be faithful to her in this life and maybe even beyond this life.

He wasn't going to break his promise to Touya and himself.

 _I'm not going to bring dishonor to myself. I will keep that promise, even if my life depends on it,_ he thought as he brought his fingers to his lips. He could still taste her inside his mouth, even if he didn't taste every inch of her skin. Still, her flavor was strong.

Syaoran sighed, thinking that maybe the sexual tension between them would only go further than physical attraction. In some way, he hoped that it would go farther.

Syaoran walked towards the building department, until his eyes fell on a silver car. He walked towards it slowly, and saw Yue talking with a tall woman.

Syaoran approached them, hiding in between some cars in stealth mode. And then his heart skipped a bit, recognizing the woman after staring a while.

She was a tall woman, dressed in a white shirt and black skirt, with white high-knee boots. She looked Chinese. She had black micro braided hair, and heavy make up on her face.

 _Zhang Pinmei?!_

Syaoran was confused at seeing her in Tokyo, especially in the Setagaya district, in front of the police department. He noticed that Pinmei had a rounded belly; he presumed that she was at least five months pregnant. Besides that, he didn't notice any other changes about her.

Syaoran moved forward slowly, just to hear their conversation, curious of why Pinmei is in Japan and why Yue was still here.

"I assume that slut has taken you down." Syaoran noticed that Pinmei's voice was high-pinched and annoying, as always. She always had that fake classy attitude that she used when she stalked him back in Hong Kong.

Yue moved his hands to her belly, caressing her round stomach.

Pinmei moaned at the contact.

 _Fake and nymphomaniac as always Pinmei. No wonder I was glad that they fired you in Hong Kong._

"It will be her contract with death, be sure of that, _Insectator._ " Pinmei took his wrists and removed them from her rounded belly.

Syaoran, however, was surprised by the nickname in Latin that he called her.

Now that he's thinking about it, Shinomoto Akiho had said a phrase in Latin before shooting at everyone in that hall. Maybe the Monstrum uses that language as a code and gives to its collaborator code names in Latin?

Inside the churches sometimes, the priests pray and say prayers in that ancient language, but Syaoran scrapped the idea that the Monstrum could actually be a priest or even a person that worked inside the Vatican immediately.

Yue seemed disappointed when Pinmei removed his hands from her belly. "Yue, you may be the father of my child, but you know why I want to use my pregnancy." A smirk formed on her face.

Yue nodded, looking at her with a satisfied gaze. "So, you can make the media believe that Chief Kinomoto is responsible for everything going on? Perhaps even assuming that he is the Monstrum and the father of my child?"

Syaoran pressed the ' _record_ ' button on his phone before that statement was mentioned, so he was glad that he was ahead of the game. He could barely believe that they would try to put the blame on the chief for everything going on.

"So, everything is set for tonight, _Raptor_?"

Yue nodded.

Syaoran was surprised by the Latin nickname that Pinmei gave to him.

"Everything is ready, Pinmei. Sakura's life will never be the same… _if_ she survives. _"_

 _Bastards._

Syaoran growled on the inside, wanting to end both Yue and Pinmei for their plan. He didn't have any doubts anymore; Tsukishiro Yue and Zhang Pinmei worked with the Monstrum.

The two walked towards Yue's silver car once their conversation ended, so he stopped recording the conversation and immediately sent a message to Mei-Ling.

 _From: Li Syaoran_

 _To: Li Mei-Ling_

 _When you have time, listen to this with Eriol. That psycho Zhang Pinmei is here and she's pregnant with Tsukishiro Yue's child. I'm going to let Chief Kinomoto listen to this conversation as soon as I see him. Think about something that could help us end this before it even begins._

 _You and Eriol make quite the pair, after all._

* * *

Mei-Ling listened to the vocal record that Syaoran sent that evening. It was nine at night and she was with Eriol, working on some paperwork for the events that happened that night.

Eriol heard everything with a focused look on his face as he heard every word in the conversation between Tsukishiro Yue and this new woman on the suspected list, Zhang Pinmei.

Once the recording finished, Mei-Ling lay her phone on the desk and ran her hands through her hair. Her hand turned into a fist. "I can't believe this. That psycho is here…I thought we got rid of her."

Eriol took one of her wrists, removing her hand from her hair.

Mei-Ling looked at him, surprised by his sudden gesture.

"Well, we have enough evidence to prove that she is a part of everything going on, so we could arrest her until everything settles down. Maybe we could get her locked up in Hong Kong too, so she won't be near you guys."

Mei-Ling shook her head. "She's pregnant, Eriol. Even if she's involved, we can't… _fuck_. I never thought that she could be this sly."

Mei-Ling sighed when she finished her sentence, frustrated that such a psychotic woman has come here in Japan and works with the Monstrum, even having been a former cop. The case was driving Mei-Ling crazy even more now, knowing that Pinmei is here.

She could not help but think that she wanted revenge on Syaoran for not considering her a proper mate. She knew it sounded stupid and childish, but she didn't want to disregard the idea. She knew that Syaoran was well-known in Hong Kong, especially by the women who knew about his heritage and admired his looks. However, Mei-Ling knew that Syaoran didn't care and refused to entertain any of them, especially Zhang Pinmei.

Eriol knew about the woman since Syaoran and Mei-Ling told him about their experience in Hong Kong. The only detail that he didn't know was that Mei-Ling had a boyfriend and that he was killed during a case.

Eriol placed Mei-Ling's hand on the desk delicately and stood from his chair, looking at the clock on the wall. "Oh, I should head home…" he said. Deep down inside, he wanted to stay a little longer here at Mei-Ling's apartment.

He wanted to stay with her, especially after she accepted his apologies. He wanted to comfort her, make her see that he was here for her whenever she needed him. Even if she wanted him to warm her bed.

Eriol shook his head at that thought quickly.

Warming her bed? Sure, he was growing an affection towards Mei-Ling. They were friends after all, but he didn't think that this friendship could grow into something more than just that—friendship.

Still surprised by that earlier thought, he walked towards the sofa and grabbed his coat.

"Wait," he heard Mei-Ling stand from her seat. She walked towards him. "I have a favor to ask you before you leave," her voice sounded determined.

Eriol was happy to oblige. He smiled at her and threw his coat back on the sofa. "What is it, Mei-Ling?" he asked, waiting for an answer.

Mei-Ling felt the words die in her throat, not able to decide to ask him that favor anymore. But, her body craved the favor. She needed the favor to be fulfilled. Mei-Ling knew that the love she felt for him wouldn't be good, since he was still mourning Tomoyo. Nevertheless, she was still tempted and listened to her body and heart than her rational side. "Kiss me…"

Eriol could feel his heart skip a beat, not expecting such a request.

She looked like a desperate child who wanted a cookie from the cookie jar. He thought about Tomoyo, what would she think of this if she were still alive? But, he was sure that Tomoyo would have wanted him to be happy.

Eriol cupped her cheek and leaned towards her lips before locking their lips together.

The familiar sparks that everyone mentioned hit Mei-Ling felt like lightening as his lips caressed hers. She somehow knew that his lips would fit perfectly against hers. She placed her arms on his shoulders, tasting his lips with her own.

The kiss was meant to be chaste, but Eriol wanted more than just a simple kiss when their lips connected, so he opened his mouth, sliding his tongue across her lips.

Mei-Ling opened her mouth, accepting his tongue in a battle.

The simple kiss turned into something more the moment he agreed to kissing her.

Eriol moved his hands to the buttons of her shirt, brushing his hand against her breasts gently. When he heard a moan escape Mei-Ling's mouth, he knew that it was okay to continue.

Eriol unbuttoned her shirt, not having the will or control over his own body anymore.

She was happy to oblige as her shirt fell down her arms slowly once he got all the buttons undone.

She did the same by removing his shirt as they broke the kiss to get it off. They could both see the lust in each other's eyes as they stared at each other longingly.

They stared at each other shirtless with only their lingerie and pants on.

Mei-Ling felt her body temperature rise, staring at the man in front of her. "Eriol…" she called his name in a whisper.

Eriol placed Mei-Ling on the sofa delicately and began to kiss her stomach, descending to her pants. He unbuttoned them with his teeth before pulling them down her legs.

His manhood ached, needing a release. He knew that she just asked for a kiss, but he could not help himself when he took things further.

Mei-Ling felt that it was right. It had been so long since she felt this way, and now, it was with Eriol, she's feeling them again. She arched her back, helping him remove her pants. He removed her panties as well. The only thing Mei-Ling was dressed in was her bra.

Eriol moved up her body to kiss her passionately. He sucked on her lower lip, leaving red traces on it.

Mei-Ling moaned silently as she felt his hands on her thighs. He ran his hands up and down her thighs, teasing her. He removed his lips from hers and they looked at each other.

Mei-Ling looked at him, not knowing what to say. She suddenly felt a sense of guilt seep in, knowing that what she asked for was selfish.

Eriol knew what she felt just by the look in her eyes. She felt guilty for asking him to kiss her. She just wanted that, instead of what they were about to do.

"I'm sorry," she said, lifting herself into a sitting position and placing her hands in front of her eyes. She felt naked, not only because she was only in her bra, but she felt that her character had been exposed of her true feelings for him. Maybe Eriol saw with that simple question that she had feelings for him.

Eriol took her panties and gave them back to her. She took it and put them on. "It was me who didn't have any control. I let my body overtake my actions. I should be the one to say sorry…"

An awkward silence passed between them, no one making a single noise. They sat on the sofa, not sure how to feel about the moment they were currently in; Mei-Ling in her lingerie and Eriol with his pants on only.

"Come here," he said softly, breaking the silence. He touched her shoulder, putting her head into his lap, caressing her hair gently.

"Can we stay like this?" she asked, caressing his knee, her voice a whisper.

Eriol smiled at her, continuing to caress her hair. "Yes."

* * *

Sakura had enjoyed her ' _day off'_ , imposed by Detective Li. She did her chores, went grocery shopping since she needed to, watched some TV shows, and learned new recipes. She even learnt some Italian dishes, specifically the Southern Italy's, like fried rice balls with meat and the Sicilian cannolo.

Now, she sat on her bed, with the earphones in her ears, listening to music. She even called her parents, lying to tell them that she had passed an important exam that day and so she would come back.

That lie still hurt her heart. All she wanted was the warm company of her parents, while eating delicious meals and watching movies together in their living room. She missed those moments. All she has to do now is wait for the right moment to tell them the truth.

But she didn't want the news to kill her mother in the process of the truth coming out.

Sakura sighed as she paused the music and removed her earphones. She placed her phone and the earphones on the bedside table.

Her mind played that morning's events when Shinomoto Akiho shot at her brother and Syaoran during the press release. In some way, she felt satisfied that she had pummeled the woman's face in.

She was glad to have met the District Attorney, who changed her mood earlier.

Sakura found that she was a sweet person with a kind heart. But when she looked in her ruby eyes, she sensed a terrible sadness within her. She couldn't tell if it was in her head, or if it was just the sixth sense she always seemed to have when detecting others sadness.

She shook her head from the thoughts of something sad, letting her mind wander to Syaoran.

He had defended her from Yue, which that scene still warmed her heart. All she knew was that she is beginning to have strong feelings for him, and she liked that. She couldn't help but feel that this feeling was more than sexual for him…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard something strange.

She gasped and turned off the lights in her bedroom immediately, just to be careful.

 _Could it be Yue? Is it just to punish me for not coming to the Red Lotus?_

She felt the anxiety rising in her lungs. She put her back against the wall of her room, breathing slowly and biting her lower lip to keep from panicking.

Then, she looked at the half-opened door, seeing a figure with a black cloak. Sakura gasped, recognizing the cloak on that person immediately.

 _Oh_ _ **Fuck**_ _, the Monstrum!_

* * *

Syaoran was in his study in his home, reading some documents and reports about Shinomoto Akiho, Tsukishiro Yue, and Zhang Pinmei.

Touya gave them to him after he let him listen to the recorded conversation between Yue and Pinmei. He was studying them carefully and looking for any connections between the three of them.

He didn't feel the need to look into Tsukishiro Yukito. He still wasn't sure if he should be on the suspected list, even if Sakura was suspicious of him.

His eyes fell on the monitor of his computer for a moment, looking at Sakura's apartment, just in case something wasn't right. He looked at it again, seeing something odd.

He saw a person who wasn't Sakura. Said person had a cloak on, covering its entire body.

"Oh no…" He rose from his seat and immediately grabbed his phone, dialing Touya's number.

 _Answer, damn it!_

" _Chief Kinomoto speaking._ "

Syaoran let out a sigh of relief when Touya answered the phone. "Chief, it's Li. We have a code red, I repeat, we have a code red. I think the Monstrum is in your sister's apartment."

There was a moment of silence on the phone until it broke when Touya muttered profanities under his breath.

" _Go to her immediately_ _and_ _remember what I said, Li. Not a_ _ **single**_ _scratch on her!"_

Syaoran could have sworn his heart jumped to his throat, receiving the message loud and clear. "Roger that. I'm going to the Shibuya district right now."

He ended the call and grabbed his gun and car keys, running towards the parking lot and his car. He cranked up the car and immediately took off with the sirens on.

"Li Syaoran of the Setagaya Department, we have a code red. I believe the Monstrum is in the Shibuya District, so I need reinforcements!" he said through the car's intercom, calling all of his colleagues from the other departments.

 _She's strong, so she should hold it off until I get there!_

* * *

Sakura took slow and even breaths as she slowly walked through her apartment, feeling like a thief in her own home. She knew she couldn't be seen. She walked towards the kitchen cautiously. Sakura wanted at least a knife to defend herself, knowing that she was no match against the Monstrum.

She felt the anxiety rising in her chest, hoping that Syaoran had seen everything from the micro cameras. Something told her that he did, though. And, most likely on his way here right now. She hoped so, at least.

She arrived in the kitchen successfully and searched for the knife, but it was almost like a mission impossible, since she only had the moon as a light. She didn't want to turn on the lights to draw attention to herself.

"Looking for something?"

Sakura gasped and turned towards the entrance of the door, only to see the Monstrum. She recognized his voice immediately, as it was the one that killed Tomoyo on that cold night of October.

Sakura growled and looked at him with a hard look in her eyes. She reached in the drawer, looking for a knife.

 _Where is a bloody knife?_

"So, we met again. The last time was…maybe last year. It was October and you tried to stop me from killing that beautiful woman."

Sakura remained silent for a moment, still looking at him with the same hard look in her eyes. She didn't want to show her fear. Showing fear would give him an advantage over her.

The Monstrum laughed at her, amused by her attitude. "C'mon, you don't have to act so hard. I know that you enjoy the pain, so it's not like you won't enjoy what's coming. After, _Raptor_ said that you do…"

His manly and rough voice was like a tourniquet around Sakura's neck; every word suffocating her on the inside. Then she focused on the Latin word that he used.

As far as she knew, 'raptor' means 'rapist' in Latin. This gave her no doubts that he was referring to Yue.

" _Be sure of that, Sakura, your life is going to end_ _ **sooner**_ _than you think,"_ his words echoed in her head, finally knowing the meaning of his threat.

It was as she suspected; Yue was collaborating with the Monstrum.

That would explain Ayami, Emi, and Tomoyo's death, but still it didn't explain Yuriko's.

Sakura had to survive, so she could find the connection of Yukito and the Monstrum, including Yuriko's killing.

Sakura closed her eyes for a moment and sucked in an anxious breath, her hand finally grabbing a knife. She felt grateful for the darkness now, so he wouldn't be able to see it.

"You are such a selfish bastard. Did you know that 'beautiful woman' was pregnant? She wasn't even a sinner! She didn't even work at the Red Light District!"

The Monstrum laughed again. "Daidouji Tomoyo was on my list for a long time, anyway. She came to the Red Lotus to talk to you, since she was your best friend, and being best friends with a prostitute is a sin."

Sakura began to feel disgusted with herself. She couldn't believe that Tomoyo was killed because she had a deep friendship with her. She couldn't draw any other conclusions about this, other than saying that her best friend was a sinner for being pregnant outside of marriage. She omitted that idea immediately, though, knowing it was her fault that Tomoyo was killed, though.

She tightened her hold on the knife, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"And you, my dear, beautiful Golden Lotus," He even knew the nickname that she had inside the Red Lotus. Maybe it was Yue's fault for Yuriko's death.

The Monstrum approached her and caressed her face softly. Sakura saw a hint of a smile on his face by looking at his dark, black eyes. "I'm sure that you are going to spread your legs for me before I cover you in a puddle of blood."

Sakura looked at him and smirked. "Not today." She rose her knife and stabbed him in the rib.

The Monstrum yelled in pain as Sakura ran towards the living room.

Her adrenaline rushing led her out of the kitchen, feeling her survival instincts kick in. Her first instincts should have been to leave the house, but she wanted the Monstrum captured finally. Leaving the house would mean letting him get away and kill other innocent victims.

The Monstrum took the knife out of his rib and placed it on the table, taking his own knife. He approached Sakura slowly, as she took steps back as she took a vase beside the sofa.

"You dirty slut," he insulted as he approached her steadily.

Sakura smirked at his insult, not even the least bit affected by it. "I've had worse insults, darling."

She threw the vase at his head, making him stumble back. Sakura took advantage of his state and punched his stomach and kicked him to the floor.

The Monstrum growled, angered by the fact that she was not playing the role as most victims had. Sakura walked towards him and kicked his rib where she had stabbed earlier.

He kicked her ankle, making her lose her balance.

Sakura fell to the floor, moaning from the sharp pain of the hard floor. The Monstrum sat on top of her and began tearing her shirt off her body.

Images of Tomoyo flashed across her eyes and mind. Sakura grabbed his wrists and pushed him off her. She stood up from the floor with a jump, but the Monstrum stood up as well and rose his knife towards her.

He swiped towards her, but she dodged it, moving behind him. She kicked him towards the coffee table. But, he was up on his feet in a split second, swiping at her again. He swiped across Sakura's shoulder and chest.

She felt these parts of her body burning from the cut and screamed in pain. Sakura punched his chin, making his teeth smash against each other.

The Monstrum fell on the floor in front of her. Because she didn't notice he still had the knife in his hand, he swiped her thighs, making Sakura fall to her knees.

 _This is the end…Where are you, Detective Li?!_

Sakura felt that her death was coming. She didn't know what else to do in that moment, if not surrender and let the Monstrum take her body and then kill her.

She saw the Monstrum unbuttoning his pants quickly. She could see his erection awaken in his pants. "Now, you're going to give me a job with that dirty little mouth of yours."

Sakura didn't want her life to end so soon, and like this. She still prayed that Detective Li could come in her apartment and save her. Sakura closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the Monstrum to fully unbutton his pants.

She heard the door opening with a kick, making her heart skip a few beats.

"Stop right there! Tokyo Police!" She recognized the voice immediately and turned her head towards the voice, opening her eyes. A smile grew on her face. "Syaoran…"

Syaoran was there, standing with his gun pointed towards the Monstrum with a disgusted look on his face. Seeing Sakura alive relaxed his nerves, until he saw that he had hurt her. He saw that she was bleeding from her shoulder, chest, and thighs.

"Let go of her or I'll be forced to shoot." Syaoran was blinded by the rage at the sight.

He looked at Syaoran before grabbing Sakura's hair tightly. "You called the police, whore? Do you think that you deserve to still live, unworthy sinner?!" Sakura saw the rage in his eyes, but she wasn't threated by his words.

Syaoran's arrival had gave her a new strength to fight with him. Sakura punched him, making him release his hold on her, groaning in pain.

Syaoran shot several bullets, but the Monstrum dodged them easily. He ran towards the Monstrum, kicking him, until he to the floor.

Syaoran turned to Sakura and ran towards her once the Monstrum was on the floor. He took her by the shoulders, making Sakura place her hands on his chest. She felt his heart beating fast, knowing that his adrenaline rush hadn't ended yet.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking at her fresh wounds.

She was still bleeding and saw that her shirt was torn. Sakura nodded, biting her lips from the pain of her wounds.

Syaoran knew that Lieutenant Mihara would be able to take care of her wounds. She had lost a lot of blood, though.

He caressed her shoulders gently, letting her know that he was here for her. He was glad that she fought, just as he suspected she would.

Sakura felt a sense of protection wash over her. She looked at Syaoran with gratitude in her eyes.

Her eyes fell on the floor and saw that the Monstrum was rising from the floor and approaching Syaoran.

"Syaoran, behind you!" she shouted.

He turned and saw that the Monstrum had his knife, ready to stab him in the back. He grabbed his wrist and twisted his arms behind him. Sakura took the opportunity to kick his stomach.

She heard the sound of sirens outside of her apartment and turned her head towards the sound.

Seeing their guard had been let down, the Monstrum elbowed Syaoran's stomach, making Syaoran release him. He pushed Sakura back, making her fall on the floor, cursing under her breath. The Monstrum jumped out of the living room window, too fast for either of them to react and stop him.

She cursed under her breath again.

"Fuck!" they both exclaimed.

* * *

Sakura and Syaoran were out of her apartment, several police cars and an ambulance were around the building. Syaoran was talking to Touya and Lieutenant North Summers, informing them about everything that happened inside the apartment.

Sakura, in the meanwhile, was getting medicated by Chiharu and Yamazaki, since Touya ordered both of them to take care of her wounds. Yamazaki took her hand and medicated the wound on her palm that she got when she hit the Monstrum with the vase, while Chiharu tended to the wound on her shoulder.

"I never thought that you were so brave, Sakura," Chiharu said as she cleaned the wound on her shoulder.

Sakura smiled at her words bitterly. The three of them were friends since Elementary School, but they parted when Chiharu went to college to study medicine and Yamazaki went to study law in the same college as her.

Sakura was glad to see that the both of them worked with her brother in the Setagaya's department. She knew that Touya could trust the both of them, despite being unprofessional sometimes.

Yamazaki and Chiharu were dating. They would fight sometimes, losing their focus on a case. However, Touya knew that Chiharu was more mature than Yamazaki, so he promoted her as Lieutenant, despite being the head chief of the medical team. Yamazaki, after years of being in the Setagaya's Department, was still a simple agent and he wasn't yet promoted to Detective.

"I had to be, but I think that I've always been. You never know the full capacity of your strength until you're faced with certain situations."

Yamazaki looked at Sakura, listening to her as he covered her hand with a sterile gauze and tied a knot on it delicately. "I've always known you to be brave, but not like this," he said as he closed the first kit aid and put it back on the ambulance.

"The Monstrum has made a mess, and I'm sure you'll help Li with the case." Takashi sighed as he looked at Syaoran talking with the Chief and Lieutenant Summers. "You are more than what you think you are, Kinomoto-san. You're intelligent, smart, and talented. I won't be surprised if you solve this case."

Takashi looked at Chiharu and Sakura. His girlfriend looked at him and stopped tending to Sakura's wound, as she smiled at him, feeling proud of the words that he said.

He smiled back, knowing that Chiharu felt the same way about Sakura.

"Takashi's right. I'm sure you'll be able to bring more pieces of this entire puzzle together."

Sakura felt touched by their words. It almost felt like the times when they were still children in elementary school.

Her eyes fell on a woman with a camera in front of her a few meters away from them. Sakura immediately recognized her; Shinomoto Akiho.

Without thinking, Sakura rose from her seat and walked towards the journalist. She had the microphone in her hand and looked at the camera. When she was close enough, she could perfectly hear what she was saying to the camera:

"…since the Monstrum strike again, we have a new victim: Her name is Kinomoto Sakura, sister of Chief Kinomoto of Setaga—"

"You dirty liar!" Sakura shouted towards the woman, the camera operator focused on her.

Akiho felt her heart stop for a moment by seeing her. She was sure that Sakura had died in her apartment, but she was still here alive. _You had one job, Animo! Kill her!_

"I can't believe that your chief still kept you on the network, because of the stunt you pulled this morning in Setagaya!"

Akiho remained motionless. Unpleasant chills ran down her body at the icy tone Sakura's voice held.

"I hope that the entire Tokyo sees you for what you are. A dirty little liar who does anything she can to be on top of the network. You would do anything to remain the example of perfection." A bitter smile crossed her lips. "But, I bet that they don't know that you pulled the trigger this morning in Setagaya's Department, killing a lot of people and now…"

Akiho remained silent, not having the courage to answer her. She looked back at the camera, stammering. "We aren't live yet, Kinomoto-san."

The camera operator shook his head and rose his finger, moving it left and right. "I'm sorry, Shinomoto-san, but we're live."

Sakura laughed at that confirmation, taking the microphone from Akiho's hand and turned to the cameras. "You want the scoop, yeah? Well, as I said, Shinomoto Akiho had a gun with her and killed several agents and nearly killed Lieutenant Summers from Scotland Yard, who came from London to help my brother with the case." She paused and took a deep breath. "And now, she said that I was killed to stir more chaos in our society, when it isn't true. I'm wounded, but I'm still alive."

Akiho clenched her fists and bit her lower lip. She knew if the Chief of the network saw Sakura's declaration, she would be fired, and she didn't want that…Or at least the plan could change.

"This is the scoop. A prostitute won against the Monstrum of Tokyo. This is Kinomoto Sakura, for JNN News."

The camera operator lowered the camera and bowed to Sakura.

She bowed to him and gave him the microphone. Sakura looked at Akiho and smirked, knowing that she was irritated that she has ruined her career.

"That's what you deserve for attacking my brother."

With that, Sakura turned her back to Akiho and walked towards her brother, Lieutenant Summers, and Syaoran.

Akiho closed her eyes, breathing slowly and took out her phone, typing a message.

 _From: Shinomoto Akiho – Impostor_

 _To: Yuna D. Kaito – Homicida_

 _I think we should go with plan B, my love. Animo didn't kill her._

* * *

 _Author Note: WOAH, 11,216 words…Damn I'm tired xD But things are going to get heated from now on xD I hope to bring Chapter 9 ASAP, or even during the first anniversary of Red Light District, but I doubt it xD_

 _Also, some Latin translation;_

 _Animo = Mind_

 _Impostor = Imposter_

 _Homicida = Slayer_

 _Raptor = Rapist_

 _Insectator = Persecutor or Stalker_

 _And from last chapter;_

 _Peccatorum omnium est morietur = All the sinners must die_

 _See you soon :3_

 _-Anya_


End file.
